The New York Knicks dropped a bombshell Friday night with a trade for Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns.
The All-Star big man was acquired in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill confirmed the deal is taking place.
Per ESPN's Tim Bontemps, the Charlotte Hornets will serve as a needed third team in the trade, as both the Knicks and Timberwolves are above the first apron and not allowed to take on more money in a trade.
Towns appeared to react to the news on X minutes before it hit the public sphere. He did not appear enthusiastic.
The move will reunite Towns with his old coach, Tom Thibodeau, who coached him for three seasons in Minnesota before being fired in 2019. It's also something of a homecoming for the New Jersey native.
The trade is a shocker to more people than Towns, both for the fact the Timberwolves are moving on from a player who has served as a face of the franchise since they took him first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft and the fact the Knicks somehow aren't done this offseason.
Why did the Knicks acquire Karl-Anthony Towns?
The Knicks were already positioned as an NBA title favorite after a transformative offseason in which they bet big on small samples and the power of friendship.
The team signed OG Anunoby to a five-year, $212.5 million deal, then traded nearly every first-round draft pick possible for Mikal Bridges. With Anunoby, it got a player with whom it went 26-6 when he was healthy. With Bridges, it got a player who perfectly fit the team's identity and who also played with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and DiVincenzo in college at Villanova.
That quartet of ex-Villanova players is now a trio, and the reason why is the team's situation at center.
Last season, New York featured a big man tandem of Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson. Hartenstein left for a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, while Robinson is out until at least December with an ankle injury.
Without a move, the Knicks were on track to feature some combination of Jericho Sims, Precious Achiuwa, Randle and others at center. They went with a four-time All-Star instead.
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