Not even KAT had the reflexes to respond to this trade.
Karl-Anthony Towns simply wrote “…” on Friday night after news broke that the Knicks and Timberwolves were finalizing a blockbuster trade that would send the Minnesota star to New York in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo. DaQuan Jeffries and a lottery-protected, first-round pick from the Pistons.
Jon Krawczynski, the Timberwolves beat reporter for The Athletic, wrote on X that Towns’ camp said the New Jersey product was “stunned” by the deal.
Krawczynski also noted that Towns “did not request this trade. He never has requested a move in nine years here.”
The move continued a reshaping of the Knicks roster after two straight runs to the Eastern Conference semifinals and gave them a center they needed after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Thunder and Mitchell Robinson missing the start of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery.
The Knicks also acquired Mikal Bridges in a trade for the Nets at the start of the offseason.
The Timberwolves are coming off a season that saw them go 56-26 and reach the Western Conference finals behind the duo of Towns and Anthony Edwards before losing to the Mavericks in five games.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is currently locked in a legal battle with co-owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore — whose bid to buy team recently aded help from former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg — over the sale of the team.
Towns averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds while being named an All-Star for the fourth time.
Randle missed all of the Knicks playoff run after inuring his shoulder on Jan, 27, eventually opting for season-ending surgery.
DiVincenzo was a critical piece for coach Tom Thidodeau’s team especially as injuries began to ravage them in the postseason.
The Villanova product averaged 22.7 points per game in the Knicks’ Eastere Conference semifinals loss to the Pacers.