Karl-Anthony Towns on Rudy Gobert trade: 'Definitely something I wasn't ready for'

Sometimes it takes a while to get the whole story, particularly when the stakes are high — and when motives have changed.

That was my read on Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns making a recent podcast appearance with Paul George on which he talked about a number of important subjects, including how he really felt when the Wolves made the big trade last summer for Rudy Gobert.

It felt honest from Towns, and honesty often carries a lot of intention with it.

I already talked about some of the high points on a recent Daily Delivery podcast with Chip Scoggins, but I went back and listened again to pick out some specifics.

Of note:

*Towns said he was surprised by the Gobert trade and essentially didn't know it was happening because he was on vacation.

"It was definitely something I wasn't ready for. I remember being in London and getting that call," he said. "I didn't actually have no idea that was happening. I was told by social media like everybody else, so that was something."

Assuming that's true, and there's no reason to think it wasn't true, it is odd that Towns wouldn't be in the loop on a move like that. Even if you don't think a franchise cornerstone should act as an assistant GM and be privy to roster decisions, this particular trade meant he was going to have to change positions from center to power forward.

*Of that change, Towns said he took it as a challenge and tried to draw upon previous experience at the "four" earlier in his Wolves career and in college.

"It was definitely an adjustment," Towns said. "I had to move, so it changed how my offseason was going to be approached. ... I had already started my offseason workouts as a five. I was preparing as a five, watching film as a five. Then halfway through the offseason throw all that ... out the window.

*On the season as a whole, Towns said he felt he was playing "some of the best basketball of my career" when he suffered the calf strain that knocked him out for 52 games. That's debatable, though it is interesting to note that Towns was averaging 5.4 assists in the 20 full games before his injury.

Overall, when asked if the year was a failure, Towns said yes.

"We didn't meet the expectations that were set for us," said Towns, who famously announced "championship or bust" after the Gobert trade and said on the podcast that making the second round of the playoffs was his minimum expectation for the season. "But we didn't make it. So obviously it hurts and that's something I'll live with."

*Of the infamous Jimmy Butler practice, Towns held back but did offer this: "I was balling, he was passing a lot. ... We had a moment where we was arguing with each other. He said some [stuff], I said some [stuff] back. I wasn't going for that."

Overall, the Gobert stuff is obviously the most interesting. And it will be even more interesting as we consider how the offseason eventually plays out.

Here are four other things to know today:

*On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, I welcomed Minnesota United defender Zarek Valentin on to talk about the season and several other topics. Among the highlights is Valentin's light-hearted beef with EA Sports over his depiction in FIFA soccer video games.

The 2023 version looks nothing like him, but at least it's better than a past attempt that Valentin described (accurately) as looking like a cross between comedian Pete Davidson and Shrek.

*I also did a game-by-game prediction for the Vikings season on Friday's podcast, but the real heroes were those working on NFL team social media accounts Thursday.

*The Nuggets dispatched the Suns with ease on Thursday. Maybe Denver really is the best team in the West?

*Circle Oct. 13: That's when the Gophers men's and women's hockey teams will face St. Thomas in a doubleheader at Xcel Energy Center. Now let's work on a men's and women's basketball doubleheader, please.