The Golden State Warriors eyed Karl-Anthony Towns before the Minnesota Timberwolves shipped the four-time NBA All-Star big man to the New York Knicks, The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported on October 22.
“In the last couple of months, the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves had a conversation about Karl Anthony-Towns, league sources said, but it didn’t go anywhere. The Timberwolves targeted a specific package from the New York Knicks that the Warriors didn’t possess. There’s no other obvious big name immediately available as the regular season arrives,” Slater wrote.
The Knicks had Donte DiVincenzo, the former Warriors guard, whom the Timberwolves wanted since last year’s free agency.
DiVincenzo signed a two-year, $9.3 million deal with a player option on the second year with the Warriors during the 2022 NBA free agency. He outperformed his contract and declined his second-year option, which left the Warriors with limited resources to re-sign him.
DiVincenzo chose between the Knicks and the Timberwolves during his free agency. He ultimately chose the Knicks because of his Villanova ties with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart and after a conversation with Warriors star Stephen Curry, who reinforced his decision to go to New York and play with his college buddies.
Had the Warriors been able to keep DiVincenzo, they would have a greater chance to land Towns than the Knicks.
A 39.8% 3-point shooter in his career, the 7-foot Towns would have been the perfect floor-spacing big man in Kerr’s pace-and-space system.
Steph Curry Claims Most NBA Teams Do Not Want to Trade With Warriors
Towns was the latest miss for the Warriors in their star chasing.
They made a run at Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James at the February trade deadline. Then, in the offseason, they tried to acquire former Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George and Utah Jazz‘s All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen before the Towns talks.
“Let’s keep it real,” Curry said, per The Athletic. “Most teams are probably not going to want to help us.”
Draymond Green agreed and commended Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. for his efforts in bringing another All-Star to the Bay Area.
“He was very persistent (in) making the date work,” Green said of Dunleavy, per The Athletic, referring to Dunleavy delaying the deadline on Chris Paul’s $30 million team option, which would have been used as a salary ballast in the George trade. “He did the job. Paul George wanted to come here. So, shoutout to Mike. The Clippers just wouldn’t do (an opt-in and trade).”
Had the Warriors acquired George, they would have gone all in on Markkanen, Green suggested.
“The conversation was always about that possibility,” Green continued. “You get both of those guys, you make a huge splash. But the Clippers weren’t really willing to play ball. Then Danny Ainge was being Danny Ainge.”
Veteran Additions
Their failure to land a star did not keep the Warriors off track in their free agency board.
They added three veterans, who they strongly feel, improved their roster on the edges.
According to The Athletic report, De’Anthony Melton was the Warriors’ top free agent target, along with Kyle Anderson.
“Melton said the Warriors’ front office was in his agent’s office within 20 minutes of free agency starting,” Slater wrote.
Dunleavy was also the prime mover in acquiring Kyle Anderson from the Timberwolves.
“Look, Kyle Anderson’s a hell of a player,” Kerr remembered Dunleavy telling him, per The Athletic. “We should turn our sights on him and a couple of these other guys, turn our cap space and flexibility into good players, and let it sort out from there.”
Despite not landing their star targets, the Warriors believe they have one of the deepest rosters in the NBA. Their 6-0 preseason record backed it up.
Now, the question is how deep they can go in the playoffs with only Curry as their star surrounded by this deep supporting cast.
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Warriors Held Trade Talks for 4-Time NBA All-Star Big Man: Report