NBA Rumors: Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns Signing $158 Million Extension Before October Deadline

All the NBA players from the 2015 NBA Draft class are currently eligible to sign a contract extension with their respective teams. Devin Booker, who was drafted 13th overall pick in 2015, was the first to receive a huge payday after signing a five-year, $158 million contract extension with the Phoenix Suns. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports recently gave his own predictions of the NBA players who will receive a massive contract extension before the October 15 deadline and those who will become restricted free agents next summer.

After Devin Booker, Helin expects Kristaps Porzingis of the New York Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves to ink a five-year, $158 million deal. Since being drafted in 2015, both big men have shown their potentials to become legitimate superstars in the league. Their performance in their first three years in the NBA is enough reason for the Knicks and the Timberwolves to give them a huge payday.

After successfully trading Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks immediately declared Kristaps Porzingis as the new face of the franchise. Porzingis is currently considered as one of the best two-way players in the league. In 48 games he played last season, the Latvian center averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 1.2 assists on 43.9 percent shooting from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. However, his current injury is expected to play a major role in his contract negotiation with the Knicks.

“There is some concern because he is coming off an ACL tear that will keep him out for at least part of this coming season — it’s fair to question if you want to give him $158 million off that injury. But the Knicks have a star and a cornerstone to their rebuild, they have to pay up here. And they will.”

Meanwhile, Karl-Anthony Towns, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, has already started talking about a contract extension with the Timberwolves. Giving him a $158 million extension is a no-brainer for Minnesota. If Town succeeds to make another All-NBA teams next season, he could trigger the Rose rule and will be eligible to sign a $186 million extension. Unlike Porzingis, Towns has no health issues.

He played all 82 games last season, averaging 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 54.4 percent shooting from the field and 42.1 percent from beyond the arc. However, as Helin noted, Towns’ contract extension could have a major impact in the future of Jimmy Butler and Timberwolves Head Coach Tom Thibodeau in Minnesota.