On Friday, September 28, Karl-Anthony Towns left for home following the first day of the Timberwolves' training camp. After making it to the Conference Finals the season before, he was glad to be back with his teammates and believed they had an opportunity to create something truly unique. The basketball world was rocked when Shams Charania of ESPN revealed that he had been moved to the Knicks just a few hours later.
When did Towns discover his trade, then?
Towns talked about the chaotic moments that led to him finding out about the trade in an interview with Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, his new colleagues with the Knicks.
According to Towns, Timberwolves president Tim Connelly came to his Minnesota home to tell him about the deal.
"He told me to my face that I was traded," Towns said of Connelly. "That was a gangster move, not gonna lie. Honestly, it's a tough situation, regardless of what would have happened. But the fact that it happened that way, I have to give him respect, because it was me, three of my closest friends, and my pops, so shout out to him. He came to the house by himself with five dudes there who could have started spazzing out [laughs] and crashed out. But we said, 'Alright' so I gotta give him respect."Later in the interview, Towns stated that his "old employer did not concur" with his belief that he was "going to retire" while playing for the Timberwolves. He claimed that the action served as a polite reminder to him and other NBA players that the league is a business and that sentimentality and emotions had no place there.
Beginning with the 2024–25 season, Towns will wear the colors of New York after playing in Minnesota for the first nine seasons of his career. On December 19, his new team will play a road game in Minnesota, which is sure to be a historic evening for Towns and the Timberwolves supporters. Expect a well-earned tribute film from the Timberwolves to greet the seven-footer.