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 on Thursday. The extension will kick in at the start of the 2024-25 season, and keep Towns in Minneapolis until 2028. 

Towns’ extension comes as no surprise after he produced another stellar season. He put up 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-point land. Along the way, he scored 60 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs, setting a new career-high and the Timberwolves’ franchise scoring record. He also named an All-Star for the third time, and made the All-NBA Third Team.

Numbers and personal accolades have never been an issue for Towns, though. The big difference this time around was that he played a major role on a winning team along with Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell. That trio helped the Timberwolves win 46 games and make the playoffs for the first time since 2018. 

It seemed at various points that they might even win their first playoff series since 2004. In fact, they probably should have advanced, but they ultimately lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games due to numerous blown leads. Most notably, they suffered a 26-point collapse at home in Game 3. That loss, and the Timberwolves’ general inability to capitalize on a golden opportunity, was the mark of a young team. 

The next steps for Towns are to improve as a defender, grow as a leader and help his team push through this phase. He was not without blame for their first-round exit; in that Game 3 defeat he took just four shots, and in the season-ending Game 6 loss he went 6-for-19 from the field. 

Facing adversity and learning from defeat is a part of the journey, though, and it’s clear Towns has the talent to be great. The Timberwolves wouldn’t be paying him a quarter of a billion dollars if that wasn’t the case.