NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns joined the Knicks on Wednesday, Oct. 2, after the Minnesota Timberwolves sent their four-time All-Star to New York in a three-team trade that also included the Charlotte Hornets. The deal was agreed to Friday but took a few days to complete under the NBA’s complicated new trade rules, meaning Towns has not been able to practice with the Knicks in their first two days of training camp in Charleston, South Carolina.
After practice in Minnesota, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch fondly reflected on his time with Towns and praised him for how welcoming he was upon being hired midway through the 2020-21 season to replace Ryan Saunders, with whom Towns had a close relationship. “Performance wise, one of the most skilled players I’ve ever coached, no doubt about it. Incredibly talented player who did a lot of amazing things in last year’s playoffs.
That doesn’t happen without his contribution on both ends of the floor, for sure,” Finch said. “Just a really good guy, big for the community. So it’s always hard.
It just is. You don’t think about the human side of things when you’re contemplating these types of moves, but when they happen, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.” The Knicks can’t wait to plug him into their center spot, believing his outside shooting can be the key for a team that thinks it can contend for a title this season.
“He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in .