Karl-Anthony Towns wasted no time showing love after Taj Gibson announced his retirement from the NBA, and he made it clear he already sees the next chapter coming.
“Congrats to my brother Taj Gibson on an incredible career. Real one.
True vet. Taught me so much!
Now watch him cook as a coach in Chicago 👏. The city’s lucky to have you, big fella!”
Towns wrote on X.
That message came after Gibson closed the book on a 17-season run that stretched across eight different teams. He is expected to join Tiago Splitter’s staff as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls, and Towns clearly believes the move fits him.
The connection between the two goes back to Minnesota, where Towns and Gibson shared the floor for two seasons, from 2017-18 to 2018-19. Gibson was already an eight-year veteran when he arrived to play alongside Towns and former coach Tom Thibodeau, and his impact was immediate.
The two started all 82 games in the 2017-18 season, helping the Timberwolves end a 13-year playoff drought. For Towns, that first postseason experience came with Gibson as the veteran voice in his ear, and that’s part of why the bond has clearly lasted.
Over those two seasons with Minnesota, Gibson averaged 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 57.2% from the field in 149 games. Towns, meanwhile, put up 22.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting 53.6% from the field and 41.8% from three.
Gibson’s retirement also came with a financial wrinkle. Earlier in February 2026, the Grizzlies announced they had signed him to a two-year, $4.8 million deal, though the contract was non-guaranteed and would have only been locked in if he met internal team goals.
According to Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron, Gibson’s deal has become a notable example of the NBA’s growing use of team-option-based contracts for final roster spots in order to preserve trade flexibility.
Gozlan explained that the Grizzlies’ trade with the Pelicans, which effectively swapped AJ Johnson ($3.2 million) for Jordan Hawkins ($7 million) and second-round draft equity, created the need for additional salary matching. He noted that Johnson’s salary was not enough to match Hawkins straight up with the 200 percent expanded trade exception.
“Last week, the Grizzlies made a trade with the Pelicans in which they effectively swapped AJ Johnson ($3.2 million) for Jordan Hawkins ($7 million) and second-round draft equity. Johnson’s salary isn’t big enough to match straight up for Hawkins with the 200 percent expanded trade exception,” Gozlan explained in his latest report.
He also broke down the math:
($7,021,895 - $250,000) / 2 = $3,385,947
$3,385,947 - $3,237,120 (Johnson) = $148,828
“That isn’t a problem for the Grizzlies since they had a trade exception big enough to absorb Hawkins. Unfortunately, that exception is the $28.9 million trade exception they generated in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade.
“Acquiring minor draft equity seems like an inefficient use of 25 percent of the second-biggest trade exception in NBA history. So they attached Taj Gibson and increased his guaranteed salary from $0 to $148,828, the outgoing amount required along with Johnson to match for Hawkins. This let them save the Jackson Jr. exception for later,” Gozlan further explained.
That move allowed Memphis to keep the $28.9 million Jaren Jackson Jr. trade exception intact while bringing in Johnson, and Gibson picked up $149K before retirement.
Now, after a career built on toughness, leadership, and reliability, Gibson is heading into coaching. And if Towns’ reaction is any indication, there’s plenty of belief that he’ll bring the same touch to the Bulls’ bench that he brought to every locker room he entered.
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