Anthony Edwards lost his first co-star on the Minnesota Timberwolves as Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Edwards spoke about the trade for the first time during Timberwolves media day, opening up on losing his ‘brother’ while also commenting on the new additions to the franchise.
“I think everyone knows KAT is my brother, so that definitely hurt. It’s a business, so I just got to roll with it. They (Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo) aren’t here yet, but I’m ready to get to know them and figure it out as fast as we can. We’re trying to get back to where we were and make it even farther.”
Edwards averaged 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season, firmly supplanting KAT as the team’s No. 1 option.
That change in the status quo likely led to this trade as well, with the Timberwolves paying Towns a supermax while his impact on the court fluctuated from being the second-best to the third-best player for the franchise.
Given what the Timberwolves are already paying Rudy Gobert, who has far lesser trade value than Towns, any roster change would likely come at the expense of trading Towns.
KAT averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists last season but had a hot and cold Playoff run which ended in a gentleman’s sweep in the Conference Finals at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Timberwolves were also in a bad spot financially, which forced them to move off KAT instead of trading multiple players on the roster like Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels.
Karl-Anthony Towns Will Play For His Hometown Team
Karl-Anthony Towns grew up in New Jersey as a diehard New York Knicks fan. He had revealed the same in an interview a few years ago, discussing how he grew up in the Knicks Mania of the late 90s and early 2000s, but never really got to see the franchise compete for a championship.
“I was always a Knicks fan, obviously being a Jersey boy too, I’ve just grown up in the Knicks hysteria. Just the vibe, the culture, and the energy. It was one of those things where playing at Madison Square Garden was the greatest honor in the world where I’m from. I was a Knicks fan and ended up in Minnesota.”
With the roster, the Knicks have put in place also featuring All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson, All-Defensive wings like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, alongside a team-friendly hustle gut like Josh Hart, this Knicks team is built to be a major threat in the East.
While there will be issues like dealing with the stacked roster of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are in a position to make a very deep run, if not win the championship this season. It would turn all these players into undisputed New York legends and define their legacy forever regardless of how their careers turn out after that.
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