Former teammates Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns embraced and swapped jerseys after Towns' New York Knicks defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-110 in preseason action. During their jersey swap, a Knicks fan told Edwards to come to New York after his contract was up, with Edwards telling the fan that he would love to be reunited with Karl in a video posted on the Wolves social media.
Knicks fan: “Once that contract is up… New York, baby, New York.”
Anthony Edwards: “I definitely would love to be reunited.”
Their first preseason matchup saw Edwards lead all scorers with 31 points in the loss while Towns dominated with 16 points and 16 rebounds in the win. Julius Randle didn't play while Donte DiVincenzo put up 15 points and seven assists while clashing with Tom Thibodeau and assistant coach Rick Brunson .
Towns was Edwards' first mentor in the NBA, as Edwards went to the Timberwolves after being picked No. 1 in the 2020 NBA Draft. Edwards would soon emerge as the team's new no. 1 option, leading to Towns being traded to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo this summer .
The pair share a strong bond, but anyone rumoring an Edwards exit based on this is overreacting. I believe the trade to move Towns was an endorsement of Edwards' talent, who will be in the first year of his rookie max contract this season. The five-year, $244.6 million deal secured Edwards' future in Minnesota until 2028.
There is next to no chance that Edwards will make it to the Knicks in the near future, with the Wolves building a contender around Ant, and moving Towns was a necessary move to make the salaries on the franchise make sense from a long-term POV.
A reunion isn't on the table until 2028, at which point the Knicks need to hope Edwards doesn't sign what would likely be a supermax contract extension with the Timberwolves. With the assets they gave up for Mikal Bridges and Towns over this season, trading for Edwards at any point seems highly unfeasible.
Karl-Anthony Towns Is Looking Solid For The Knicks
The Knicks have landed a great win-now asset with Karl-Anthony Towns, even though his four-year, $220.4 million supermax contract will limit the team's financial versatility until 2028 when it expires. But investing in him as hopefully the final winning piece to round a talented Knicks roster led by Jalen Brunson is a risk that's worth taking.
Towns shot 5-13 from the field, and 2-6 from the three-point line in an uncharacteristic shooting performance in his 16-point 16-rebound performance for the Knicks against the Wolves. His interior presence and defensive solidity helped the team pull out a competitive preseason win against the Timberwolves led by former teammate Edwards who nearly doubled Towns' scoring output.
Towns has averaged 17.0 points and 10.6 rebounds in 24.0 minutes over three preseason games.
The Knicks are 3-0 in preseason with wins over the Charlotte Hornets (111-109), Washington Wizards (117-94), and Minnesota Timberwolves (115-110). They will play two more games against the Hornets and Wizards before wrapping up their preseason.
Related: Karl-Anthony Towns Showed The Timberwolves They'll Regret Trading Him Away
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