3 Offseason trade targets for Raptors to accelerate their rebuild

No. 2: Karl-Anthony Towns

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a wrecking ball in the playoffs thus far, validating their dominant regular season and speaking to the upside of this group, built on the best defense in the league.

Yet the player in the starting lineup who is the least necessary to that dominance is Karl-Anthony Towns, a surprising statement given that it was he, and not Rudy Gobert, who made an All-Star team this year. Towns is an incredibly gifted scorer and elite shooter given his size, but he is also a below-average defender and isn't the all-in-one playmaker to be the No. 1 option.

The Timberwolves are also barreling toward a massive luxury tax bill this summer if they keep the entire roster intact. Given their success this season when Towns was injured and the growth of the other pieces on the team, it would not be surprising if they quietly shopped Towns this summer.

The Toronto Raptors should be interested if Towns hits the open market and they want to start winning again next season. The Raptors have the cap space to take on Towns and send back a lower level of salary; perhaps Bruce Brown Jr. is a logical return given that he would be on an expiring deal. Kelly Olynyk could be included as well.

Towns and Scottie Barnes are an ideal fit in the frontcourt, with Barnes' defense and rim protection able to make up for Towns' deficiencies, while Towns' shooting would open up the court for Barnes in a way that Jakob Poeltl simply can't. Their two-man game would be lethal. With Barnes, Towns and Immanuel Quickley the Raptors would appear to have quite the foundation with which to accelerate their rebuild and get back into the playoff picture as early as next season.