Drastic Timberwolves trade is stern warning for Warriors in contract discussions

The era of punitive tax aprons has hit the NBA in a big way. The Golden State Warriors -- so often the team pushing their payroll to a new frontier -- have already managed their roster to avoid such penalties.

The Warriors chose to waive Chris Paul's non-guaranteed contract prior to free agency, rather than trade it to take on another substantial deal like Zach LaVine's at the Chicago Bulls. They were willing to take on the second apron for a player like Paul George, but they quickly pulled back once the L.A Clippers were unwilling to orchestrate a deal for the 9x All-Star (also for financial reasons).

The Timberwolves situation has provided a warning to the Warriors and others around the league

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the latest team to make a financially-incentivized move after trading Karl-Antony Towns just prior to the 4x All-Star starting a four-year, $220.4 million contract. With Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels also on multi-year contracts at big money, something had to give, albiet it came sooner than many expected.

This is what happens if you aren't entirely willing to take on the tax burdens, and as a result the Timberwolves got a return many would consider unders for a player of Towns' talent. It does serve as a warning for other teams around the league, including the Warriors who have very important decisions to make over the next 12 months.

While Golden State have got themselves in a stable financial situation right now, that could all change very quickly and simply be a one-year outlier before moving back above the first or second apron. Much of the focus right now surrounds contract extensions for Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, with the deadline coming up on October 21.

If the Warriors want to keep the former lottery picks around long-term, they best be prepared to re-enter a world of financial constraints. Kuminga's $7.6 million salary for this season is expected to jump to upwards of $30 million per season, while Moody's could double from $5.8 million to somewhere between $11-15 million.

General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. revealed last week that Golden State were having "good positive conversations" with Kuminga and Moody's management. The franchise has to be very careful though on who they invest in, and whether the player/s will help amount to being a good team.

We just saw the Timberwolves in a way sacrifice Towns after reaching the Western Conference Finals. Imagine the issues if the Warriors push themselves back into a huge financial commitment without the on-court results to show for it.