MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves were determined enough to take the last two steps to an NBA title — and concerned enough about how tough that could be — that they were willing to part with one of their best and most beloved players to try to do it. Trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks was the latest bold move by president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, a decision to deal a prolific player that could backfire if his production isn't backfilled. Bracing for the conditions of the new collective bargaining agreement that will make roster-building more difficult for teams with maximum salaries, though, the Wolves saw a way to add depth and keep their window for contention around Anthony Edwards open longer, even if that means subtracting some of their soul and some of their scoring.
“We don’t trade a person like KAT lightly. We were very specific with what it would take,” Connelly said at Target Center on Thursday, six days after the parameters of the trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were agreed to. “Quite frankly, the asking price was very high when you see what these guys accomplished last year.
They come from a winning environment.” As Towns joined the Knicks for training camp in South Carolina, the Wolves held an introductory news conference for Randle, DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop, who also came to his original team in the deal. For Randle, an All-Star power forward like Towns, the initial surprise of the trade.
