Paul George revealed on the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, that he had a conversation with Karl-Anthony Towns after the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him to the New York Knicks and it turns out the big man was freaking out.
“I talked to KAT after the trade,” George said. “It was crazy how it went down because my wife called me, and she found out before I found out… My wife and KAT’s girl, Jordyn are very close and so my wife called me like, ‘Hey, did you hear the news?’ I’m like, ‘News? What happened? She’s like, ‘KAT’s going to New York.’
“So, I pick the phone up, I call KAT,” George stated. “He’s freaking out like, ‘Yo. Bro is this real? I don’t know if this is real.’ So I’m like, ‘Bro, it’s crazy.’ But we talked about it. It’s hard to say in these situations, right? Because owners can do what they want. They can trade you in a drop of a dime.
“I think it was great that he (Timberwolves president Tim Connelly) actually face to face, came to KAT and told him,” George continued. “I think that takes a lot of courage and balls from a owner standpoint, especially a piece as big as KAT, who has been there for so many years and have been a part of those bad Minnesota teams.”
Towns clearly had no idea he was going to be moved. It was even reported that Towns’ camp was stunned after he was traded to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. They very much envisioned that his future was in Minnesota, but the team had other ideas.
It was a gut punch, with the only consolation being that Timberwolves president Tim Connelly at least came to Towns’ house to tell him he had been traded before the news broke. It would have stung even more, had he found out he had shipped out of town from the likes of Shams Charania after spending nine seasons with the franchise.
For me, this Towns trade shows once again that players need to look for what’s best for them and not bother about things like loyalty. I am not saying they should ask out when there’s a slight inconvenience, but if they’re just not happy with the situation they find themselves in, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be moved.
Karl-Anthony Towns Believed He Would Retire With The Timberwolves
Towns was drafted with the first pick of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves and he believed he was going to spend his entire career with the franchise. During an appearance on the Roommates Show, Towns stated he thought he was going to retire with the Timberwolves.
“I thought I was gonna retire there,” Towns said. “I thought it was gonna be the place I called home for my whole career and then after, but my former employer did not agree with that ideology I had. It is what it is. I’m here now, with my two guys here, and hoping that we can do something special for the city.”
There is a good reason why very few players end up staying with a team for their entire career. More often than not, teams ship out a player the moment they realize it would put them in a better position, which is what happened with Towns. The only ones who don’t get moved are icons like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Towns is now hoping to help the Knicks get to the Promised Land. The 28-year-old hasn’t had the greatest of starts with his new team, though, as they are 1-2 on the season and he is averaging 15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game.
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