The Minnesota Timberwolves just made the conference finals with a 22-year-old leading scorer. In the past, that would’ve felt like a surefire “run it back” situation.

But with Minnesota on track to be over the dreaded new second apron, it has to at least consider cost-cutting moves. The most obvious one would be a Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which is why he figures to show up in trade rumors for the next several weeks.

A Hawks team led by Towns and Trae Young would be lucky to be even average defensively. But Atlanta would likely near the top of the league on offense.

The Hawks could play a five-out, three-point-heavy scheme with Towns starting at the 5, and they wouldn’t necessarily be sacrificing the lob threat that’s such a huge part of Young’s game. Jalen Johnson is a high-flyer, and he could become the more common receiver for alley-oops, sort of like Aaron Gordon with the Denver Nuggets.

Worst Spot: Oklahoma City Thunder

Just like Minnesota, the Oklahoma City Thunder are ahead of schedule. They were the No. 1 seed in the West, and they’re being led by 25-year-old MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Letting all of the players younger than him naturally develop will likely keep the Thunder in contention.

But OKC also has a boatload of future draft assets in addition to that young talent. Few teams are as well positioned for a win-now move. The Thunder took a more cautious approach at February’s trade deadline when they picked up Gordon Hayward, who didn’t get them any closer to a title (he had zero points in 46 playoff minutes this year).

Trading for KAT probably wouldn’t be the right move, either.

The Thunder could use some size, and there’s some potential in Chet Holmgren playing the 4 and becoming a weakside or rotating rim protector. But one of the season-long strengths of this team was its positional versatility and mobility.

OKC could still play five-out offense with Towns, but it’d be a step slower on both ends.

Meanwhile, Towns might have to settle for being a third or fourth option for the Thunder. Holmgren and Jalen Williams could both be 20-point-per-game scorers as early as next season.