Karl-Anthony Towns Reportedly Told by Wolves He'll Be No. 1 Pick in NBA Draft

Karl-Anthony Towns, long projected to be one of the top two picks in this year's NBA draft, will reportedly be selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 1.

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com passed along the report:

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The Minnesota Timberwolves have informed Karl-Anthony Towns that they will select him with the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, a source close to Towns told SNY.tv.

“It’s done, he’s going to Minnesota,” the source said. “[Minnesota President and coach] Flip Saunders was big on Jahlil Okafor for a minute there and after Karl came in [on Saturday], he decided to work out for them. He only worked out for them and it’s a wrap. It’s a wrap. They just told him they’re going to take him No. 1.”

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He was quick to dismiss the report, telling Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press, "If I had a promise I would go start eating ice cream and getting fat. There is absolutely no promise at all."

Towns averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in his only season at Kentucky, though he did that in just 21.1 minutes per contest, as Kentucky regularly rotated players given its incredible depth. 

While Jahlil Okafor is the more advanced offensive player, Towns offers a far bigger impact defensively, is more athletic and has a higher overall upside given his evolving offensive game. Those traits surely factor into Minnesota's decision, as do Towns' predraft workouts, which Jonathan Givony of Draft Express raved about to Bleacher Report SXM:

The Timberwolves will be hoping Towns can pair with young players like Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio to form the core of a future championship roster. With Towns controlling the paint and Wiggins proving in his Rookie of the Year season in 2014-15 that he can be the go-to guy for the Wolves, the future looks bright in Minnesota.