The Minnesota Timberwolves are sending Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round draft pick in a franchise-altering deal for both sides, a person with knowledge of the deal said Friday night.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade, which was first reported by The Athletic, had not been finalized.
Towns, a four-time All-Star entering his 10th season who’s one of the best outside shooting big men in the game, never hinted at any discontent with the team that drafted him first overall in 2015 despite several lean years preceding the run to the Western Conference finals last spring.
Active in the Twin Cities community, willing to defer the alpha role to young star Anthony Edwards, and unbothered by the move to a stretch power forward role following the acquisition of centre Rudy Gobert two years ago, Towns did not appear to see this move coming three days before the beginning of training camp.
In an interview with the AP earlier this week about a youth centre he’s helping build in the Dominican Republic – the homeland of his late mother, Jackie – Towns spoke with nothing short of excitement about the season ahead and Minnesota’s outlook coming off the 2023-24 breakthrough that ended in a five-game loss to Dallas in the conference finals.
“We showed our merit last season,” Towns said. “We showed our growth, and I think more importantly we showed maturity. We found a way to show we belonged. I’m just so proud of what we were able to do last year. We’re not going to be surprising anyone. I think we’ve shown that we’re a team that you definitely have to take into consideration. When you see us on the calendar, you’ve got to bring your best.”
The Wolves will most definitely have to bring their best on Dec. 19, when they host the Knicks. Minnesota plays an exhibition game at New York on Oct. 13 and in the regular season at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 17.
Towns posted an ellipsis on the social platform X Friday night, without a single word.
Towns grew up in Minnesota in a big way, entering the league at age 19. He played for five head coaches and had seven heads of basketball operations over his nine seasons with the Wolves. The man who drafted him out of Kentucky, Flip Saunders, died of cancer four months later.
Towns got caught up in a personality struggle in 2018 with former teammate and fellow All-Star Jimmy Butler, who requested a trade after one season and used a scorched-Earth method of forcing his way out. Towns found the injury bug more recently, too, with a strained calf limiting him to 29 games in 2022-23. And his mother’s death from COVID-19 complications in 2020 took a personal toll.
The upside for the 7-footer is a return to his roots, having grown up in New Jersey. He’ll also be reunited with coach Tom Thibodeau, who spent 2½ seasons with Minnesota after being hired in Towns’ second year.
Minnesota president of basketball operations Tim Connelly has never been afraid of a bold move, as he proved by going big – on the court and off – in the Gobert deal. This decision was even bigger, as the Wolves prepare for the challenge of trying to make it two steps further in the playoffs while the top teams in the West show no signs of letting up around them.
The Wolves get an All-Star power forward in Randle, plus a sharpshooter in DiVincenzo coming off a career-best season and a first-rounder to offset some of the draft capital they sent to Utah in the trade for Gobert.
Randle’s health will be a storyline to watch during the pre-season. He had shoulder surgery in April and was absent for New York’s run to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Knicks said then that Randle would be re-evaluated in five months. Asked last week if Randle would be fully ready for camp, Thibodeau said, “Uh, yeah, I think so.”
With a recent maximum contract extension for Edwards, the acquisition of Gobert and other expensive commitments, the Wolves with Towns were headed for the second apron of the luxury tax that comes with stiff restrictions under the new collective bargaining agreement. Their ownership situation is in flux, too, with long-time owner Glen Taylor’s attempt to halt a protracted sale to partners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez scheduled for arbitration later this year.
With the Knicks, Towns can slide back to his original centre spot and fill a major need. Mitchell Robinson will be out for at least two months, recovering from ankle surgery. Isaiah Hartenstein signed with Oklahoma City this summer. That was the only position of weakness on a deep roster led by All-Star Jalen Brunson.