NBA free agency: Karl-Anthony Towns agrees to four-year, $224 million extension with Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns has agreed to a four-year, $224 million Supermax extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves, His agent, Jessica Holtz, said Thursday. The extension would begin at the start of the 2024-25 season, and keep Towns in Minneapolis until 2028.

The Towns extension was no surprise after he had another great season. He made 24.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3 points on the ground. Along the way, he scored 60 points in the win over the San Antonio Spurs, setting a new career level and record for the Timberwolves. He was also called an All-Star for the third time, and made his third All-NBA Team.

However, personal numbers and honors were not a problem for cities. The big difference this time around was that he played a key role in the winning team along with Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell. This trio helped the Timberwolves win 46 games and make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

It looked at various points that they might even win their first playoff streak since 2004. In fact, they might have had the lead, but they eventually lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games due to many broken leads. Notably, they suffered a 26-point collapse at home in Game Three. That loss, and the Timberwolves’ overall inability to capitalize on a golden opportunity, was a sign of a young team.

The next steps for Towns are to improve as a defender, grow as a leader, and help his team move forward at this point. He was not without blame for their exit from the first round. In that game 3 defeat, he only took four shots, and in the season-ending Match 6 loss, he went 6-for-19 off the field.

With that being said, facing adversity and learning from defeat is part of the journey, and Towns clearly has the talent to be great. The Timberwolves wouldn’t pay him a quarter of a billion dollars if that wasn’t the case.