Several times over the course of his nine seasons with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was the subject of speculation that he might want to force a trade because the franchise’s prospects were often lacking direction.
At every turn, Towns professed his loyalty to the Wolves, saying he was committed to building a winner in his adopted second home.
But ... the New York Knicks coveted Towns for years. His former agent, Leon Rose, runs the team. The Wolves’ former president, Gersson Rosas, is a part of the Knicks front office. New York has the kind of prolific scoring point guard in Jalen Brunson that Rosas once envisioned playing alongside Towns with the Wolves in D’Angelo Russell. And former Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau roams the Knicks sidelines and has turned them into Eastern Conference contenders.
The Wolves rebuffed the Knicks over the years.
This summer, it seemed the Wolves were more than content to run it back, despite a hefty luxury tax bill, a group that reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004.
In recent days, however, the Knicks stepped up their offers, and finally the Wolves couldn’t say no. And now that the Wolves at long last have a contending team — the kind Towns could only dream of during the darker days of his tenure — they are parting with their four-time All-Star, sending him out near his original New Jersey home.
The Wolves and Knicks shocked the NBA world Friday night by agreeing to a deal to send Towns to New York in exchange for All-Star forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo, former Wolves forward Keita Bates-Diop and a protected first-round pick via Detroit. New York’s inclusion of DiVincenzo, whom the Wolves wanted to sign in 2023 free agency, along with the draft choice likely moved the needle for Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly to make the deal.
The Wolves open training camp with Monday’s media day at Target Center. Towns, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky, was back in Minnesota working out at the team’s facility in preparation for his 10th season.