The New York Knicks are going all-in this season, landing star big man Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves .
The Knicks are acquiring Towns in exchange for forward Julius Randle, shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. New York is additionally sending DaQuan Jeffries and draft compensation to the Charlotte Hornets in the three-team deal.
Towns is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and three assists on 50.4 percent shooting from the field across 62 starts. The 28-year-old will now be reunited with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who he played under in Minnesota and briefly butted heads with.
Since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns has cemented himself as one of the most dominant centers in the league. Barring his rookie season, he's never averaged under 20 points in a season and boasts an impressive 39.5 shooting percentage from behind the arc over the course of his career.
Just minutes before the trade was officially announced, Towns subtly hinted that his time in Minnesota was nearing an end. Taking to social media, he simply wrote: "..."
It wasn't long ago that Towns appeared to be a major part of the Timberwolves' long-term plans. In July 2022, Minnesota inked the four-time All-Star to a four-year, $224.2 million extension that has three more years of team control before a player option in 2027-28.
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On the heels of the Timberwolves' 4-1 series loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals back in May, Towns expressed a strong desire to remain in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. "I've been here nine years and I would love the tenure to keep going," he told reporters after a 124-103 defeat in Game 5.
"I'm confident I'll be able to be here with my brothers and continue what I love to do here at home. So that's the plan. Nothing's changed on my side. I love this city. I love this organization. I love this city. It's given me my life, me and my family."
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Following back-to-back seasons in which they won playoff series over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, the Knicks appear intent on creating a star-studded roster built to make a deep championship run.
New York top brass has surrounded point guard Jalen Brunson with a strong supporting cast, bringing in defensive specialist OG Anunoby in a midseason trade with the Toronto Raptors and later inking him to a long-term deal over the offseason.
More recently, the Knicks landed forward Mikal Bridges in a deal with the Nets, which netted Brooklyn Bojan Bogdanovic and a massive draft picks haul that includes but isn't limited to four unprotected first-rounders (2025, 2027, 2029 and 2031).
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