One can argue that the Minnesota Timberwolves failed to nurture a major star after Kevin Garnett for almost 10 years. But their fortunes changed significantly when they drafted Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015 with the first overall pick. Towns would join fellow youngsters Zach LaVine and Andrew Wiggins on a talented and young Timberwolves squad.
This year, Towns, Wiggins, and LaVine, who all play on different teams, were all named All-Stars. Their rise to the top is further proof of the fact that the Timberwolves had a good thing going, but they gave up on their development process too soon, all in the hopes of landing a superstar to help Towns and the team win now.
It appears Karl-Anthony Towns agrees with that assessment. Reacting to a post about Flip Saunders always believing in the potential of the trio, Towns lamented on Twitter that all three players should have been given more time together in order for them to grow and become a powerful force in the Eastern Conference.
Only if we was given time…. https://t.co/P7GPSrGjYo
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) February 15, 2022
Wiggins was the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, selected by the Cavaliers, who then traded him to Minnesota to land Kevin Love. As for LaVine, he was selected by the Timberwolves with the 13th overall pick. The young trio was backed to bring great success to the franchise, but they were never truly given time to flourish together, as LaVine and Wiggins were used as assets to land a win-now star.
LaVine was traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of the package to land Jimmy Butler in 2017. As for Wiggins, he was traded mid-season to the Warriors in 2020 because Towns wanted to play with his friend D’Angelo Russell. All three players now play on different teams but have become the stars that they were expected to be.
