Knicks land Karl-Anthony Towns after years of pursuit under Leon Rose, who finally secures the star player he’s eyed since taking over in 2020.
The New York Knicks revealed today that they have secured Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves and the draft rights to James Nnaji from the Charlotte Hornets as part of a three-team trade.
In exchange, the Knicks sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a future first-round pick to Minnesota. Additionally, the Knicks sent Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., and two future second-round picks to Charlotte.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks family,” shared Knicks president Leon Rose.
“Karl-Anthony brings a skillset that is unique to the game of basketball. 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. Karl-Anthony has demonstrated throughout his career to be a high caliber player and person on and off the court who will complement the type of team and culture we continue to build in New York.”
Since NBA rules prevent the Knicks from combining minimum contracts in trades, The Athletic’s Fred Katz explained they will slightly raise the contracts of DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., and Duane Washington Jr. to just $1 above the minimum, allowing the sign-and-trade to go through.
Katz also mentioned that the NBA “isn’t thrilled” about the Knicks taking advantage of this loophole.
As Katz, along with Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski reported, the Charlotte Hornets joined the deal to turn it into a three-team trade, receiving Jeffries, Brown, and Washington from New York.
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At 28 years old, Towns has played his entire nine-season career with the Timberwolves since being the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, returning to All-Star form after a previous knee injury kept him out for most of the 2022-23 season.
A league source reported that the trade left Towns “stunned.” Just last week, he trained at the Timberwolves’ practice facility, preparing for what many expected to be one of the team’s most exciting seasons. After their appearance in the Western Conference finals, Towns believed he was integral to the team’s push to go even further this year.
He took to social media on Wednesday to express his gratitude to the Timberwolves organization and fans.
“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, Towns wrote in a post on X. Your love, support, and unwavering loyalty have fueled my journey and inspired me to be the best player I could be.“
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Picture Credit: © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
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