Despite rumours of his discontent in Minnesota and a strained relationship with the front office, Karl-Anthony Towns has committed his long-term future to the Timberwolves. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the 22-year-old has signed a huge five-year, $190 million super max extension to cement himself as the cornerstone of the franchise. There were some doubts over the center's future throughout the summer as he took his time in agreeing to the deal. He had a lot of concerns to address and it appears that the impending departure of Jimmy Butler has played a part in his decision.The duo reportedly didn't see eye to eye last season and Butler requested a trade away from the T-Wolves this week and is set to be offloaded before the start of the new campaign. This will see KAT take the reigns as the leader of this Minnesota team and he released a statement on Saturday, making a promise to bring success to the team. "On June 25, 2015, I was drafted to and committed to the Minnesota Timberwolves," he said."On September 22, 2018, I made a recommitment to the Wolves and have the same feelings of excitement that I felt back in 2015."I promise to the fans, my teammates and the organization to keep the vision of the man who drafted me, Flip Saunders, alive and treat his dream of winning with respect and dignity.

"To the fans from Day One and the Timberwolves fans, this is for you. Thank you for believing in me."

The All-Star posted a video on his Twitter page to confirm the deal and wrote "5 more".

If Towns makes one of the All-NBA teams or wins MVP or Defensive Player of the Year this season, he'll be eligible to receive 30 percent of the team's salary cap. 

Easy decision

With Butler set to hit free agency next summer, Minnesota was always likely to choose Towns and commit to him for the foreseeable future. 

He's arguably the best player they've had since Kevin Garnett and will only get better. 

The former Kentucky product has averaged a double-double in each of his three years in the NBA, posting 21.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in 2017-18. 

He also shot a career-best 54.5 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from three-point range.

This deservedly saw him earn his first All-Star appearance and All-NBA selection.

Towns has also proven to be extremely durable as he's completed all 82 games in his three seasons in the league so far.

Minnesota fans will be delighted to see the talented young star commit to the franchise and there's certainly a lot more to come from a player who's already established himself as one of the best big men in the league. 

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