When Karl-Anthony Towns put his post on “X” at 9:08 p.m. Friday, it was clear that something was up.
It was just ellipses and nothing more, a cryptic bat signal of sorts to grab everyone’s attention. Little did most know that those three dots would signify the end of his run in Minnesota, just days before he was set to begin his 10th training camp with the Timberwolves . .
.. — Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 28, 2024 Shortly before the tweet was published, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly had arrived at Towns’ home in the Minneapolis suburbs to inform the four-time All-Star that he was being traded to the New York Knicks in a whopper of a deal that brought Julius Randle , Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round draft pick from the Detroit Pistons to Minnesota, team and league sources told The Athletic .
Advertisement In some ways, the deal wasn’t a surprise. The Knicks have coveted Towns ever since Leon Rose, his former CAA agent, was hired to run New York’s front office in 2020. Everyone knew that the Timberwolves would eventually have to make some major moves to address a bloated cap sheet, and Towns’ name was the one more often mentioned in trade rumors over the last year.
After the Wolves were eliminated by Dallas in the conference finals in May, Towns was asked about his desire to return to Minnesota for a 10th season. “ I don’t know. I’m confident I’ll be able to be here with my brothers and continue what I love t.