All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves has signed a four-year, $224 million contract extension with the team during this NBA offseason. He will remain a member of the franchise until 2028 summer if he exercises the player option for the 2027-28 season.

"It [the extension] just means a lot, you know that, this organization, through everything, believes in me and sees me in their future. So [I feel] very honored, very privileged to be here, somewhere I've called home since day one," Towns said in an interview with Timberwolves radio voice Alan Horton. "And I would like to continue calling it home until the day I retire."

Having played seven seasons for the Timberwolves since they drafted him with the first overall pick in 2015, Towns has averaged 23.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in his career so far by exploiting one of the most complete sets of offensive skills for a big man. As a 2.11-meter-tall giant, he could shoot off the dribble at the 3-point line and drive from outside to charge the rim. He was Rookie of the Year, a three-time All-Star and named to the All-NBA Third Team twice.

"[It's] just the people, the atmosphere, the fans, the city. It just makes you feel so invited, so welcome," Towns told Horton.

The Timberwolves made it back to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2018 and second time since 2004. They battled the Memphis Grizzlies, one of the most ferocious teams in the Western Conference, for six games. During the offseason, the Timberwolves completed a league-shocking trade with the Utah Jazz to add three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert to their squad.

"I'm excited, you know, with the addition of Rudy. [I'm] very excited to have him. I'm very excited to play with him," Towns said in the interview. "We've had so many battles through the years with each other. I'm going to go out there and I'm gonna have a bunch of fun and we're gonna have a bunch of fun playing with each other and we're gonna stack up a lot of wins."

Towns is likely to play power forward if he pairs with Gobert in the starting lineup. That may reduce the pain he caused for the opponents' center on defense, but Gobert's rebounding and blocking abilities could fix two of the Timberwolves' biggest shortcomings last season. Meanwhile, Towns, who shot 41 percent from the three-point line last season, can create good spacing for Gobert to finish efficiently under the rim.

Of course, the Timberwolves will also count on the coaching of Chris Finch as well as the performances of D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards if the team wants to do better than the 2021-22 season. Towns sounded confident in Finch.

"I'm not worried about 'the Magician.' 'The Magician' is going to take care of everything. I already know he's going to have it. So when you have that kind of confidence in your coach, when you have that kind of confidence in your front office, anything seems possible," he said.

The Timberwolves were one of the fastest and the most aggressive teams in the league last season. However, the arrival of Gobert not only means a defensive upgrade, but also will require the team to slow down. That means Russell, who is one of the few players on the team who can control the ball calmly, will need to play a bigger role on the offensive end.

Edwards, who surpassed 20 points per game in his second NBA season during the 2021-22 campaign, will not only need to learn how to make smart offensive choices, but also work on improving his defensive performance. The Gobert trade cost the Timberwolves their best perimeter defender, Patrick Beverley. Russell has never been a reliable defender. Edwards has to do better on this front instead of leaving everything for Gobert to handle.