Minnesota Timberwolves fans are still collecting themselves after the news that Karl-Anthony Towns had been traded to the New York Knicks on Friday night. The deal brought back Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop, Donte DiVincenzo and the Detroit Pistons' heavily protected 2025 first-round pick but Wolves fans were still stunned when the deal went down. Trades are sometimes unpredictable and Friday's news hit hard even with years of "Towns to the Knicks" rumors as a paper trail.
But the human element to this deal hit even harder and has Wolves fans wondering why they would trade Towns ahead of one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history. Follow us on Facebook Related: BREAKING: Timberwolves, Knicks make blockbuster trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns Towns had a special place in the history of the Timberwolves. Many Wolves fans remember the late Flip Saunders celebrating as Minnesota won the NBA lottery for the first time in team history and in many ways, Towns was connected to Saunders even though he passed away a few months after the Wolves selected Towns with the first overall pick in the 2015 draft.
But Towns' draft status wasn't the only thing that resonated with Wolves fans. He had a level of undying loyalty the franchise hadn't seen since Kevin Garnett in the 2000s. While Stephon Marbury, Kevin Love and Jimmy Butler forced their way out, Towns was one of the few players that stuck around even as the losses piled up.
That's part of what has made the Timberwolves.