NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns joined the Knicks on Wednesday after the Minnesota Timberwolves sent their four-time All-Star to New York in a three-team trade that also included the Charlotte Hornets.
The deal was agreed to Friday but took a few days to complete under the NBA’s complicated new trade rules, meaning Towns has not been able to practice with the Knicks in their first two days of training camp in Charleston, South Carolina.
After practice in Minnesota, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch fondly reflected on his time with Towns and praised him for how welcoming he was upon being hired midway through the 2020-21 season to replace Ryan Saunders, with whom Towns had a close relationship.
“Performance wise, one of the most skilled players I’ve ever coached, no doubt about it. Incredibly talented player who did a lot of amazing things in last year’s playoffs. That doesn’t happen without his contribution on both ends of the floor, for sure,” Finch said. “Just a really good guy, big for the community. So it’s always hard. It just is. You don’t think about the human side of things when you’re contemplating these types of moves, but when they happen, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.”
The Knicks can’t wait to plug him into their center spot, believing his outside shooting can be the key for a team that thinks it can contend for a title this season.
“He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league,” Knicks President Leon Rose said in a statement.
The Timberwolves received three-time All-Star Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo from the Knicks, while reacquiring Keita Bates-Diop and also receiving a first-round pick.
The Knicks sent Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries and Duane Washington Jr. to the Hornets, along with two second-round picks, and acquired the draft rights to center James Nnaji.
Towns arrived in Minnesota as the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft and leaves what appears to be a team on the rise. The Timberwolves reached the Western Conference finals last season, even though Towns was limited by injuries to 62 games.
Now the 7-footer, who has averaged 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 39.8% from 3-point range, leaves behind an All-Star pairing with Anthony Edwards for one with Jalen Brunson.
“Nine years ago, I arrived in Minnesota as a young man with a dream. Little did I know that this place would become my home, and its people would become my family. Your love, support, and unwavering loyalty have fueled my journey and inspired me to be the best player I could be,” Towns wrote on X in what he called a post to the Timberwolves family.
“Thank you to my teammates, coaches, and the entire Timberwolves organization for the countless opportunities and experiences. I’ll cherish the friendships I’ve made and the battles we’ve fought together.”
He rejoins Tom Thibodeau, one of his former coaches in Minnesota, after the Knicks gave up two key pieces to get him.
Randle was the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2021, when he led the Knicks to their first playoff berth since 2013, and the Knicks went to the postseason in three of his five seasons in New York after being one of the league’s worst teams before he arrived. The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference semifinals the last two years, though Randle missed the postseason last season after surgery for a dislocated shoulder.
“Julius played a major role in establishing the foundation and culture of our team and we cannot thank Julius enough for what he did for this city and organization both on and off the court,” Rose said.
DiVincenzo averaged a career-high 15.5 points last season, his only one with the Knicks, and his career-best 283 3-pointers made were third in the NBA and set a single-season franchise record.
For the Timberwolves, DiVincenzo was the vital part of the deal for added depth on the wing. Finch said the club was not financially motivated to move Towns’ contract, even if they were on track to pass the second apron of the luxury tax.
“Our ownership was and is committed to paying large amounts of tax for this team to be highly competitive. That hasn’t changed,” Finch said. “This deal in totality checks a lot of boxes. We think it’s a great basketball trade. We think it makes us deeper in a lot of ways and in ways that we needed. It does give us flexibility and mechanisms to keep remaking the team going forward. That, more than anything, that whole package there was the reasons for the deal. But it doesn’t change either our expectations coming into the season. We still have a very, very talented roster, the same core as last year and we’ve got two great weapons to add to that.”
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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed.
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