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New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns talked about the roller-coaster of emotions he experienced when the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Towns for Julius Randle earlier this month. In an interview with podcast hosts and new teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, KAT joined “The Roommates Show” to discuss what that experience was like for the four-time All-Star.
“It was a hell of a Friday night, I guess,” Towns recalled. “It was a long day. I was in the facility, too. I worked out. Everything was cool, and then at night, everything wasn't cool. That's mostly how it went.”
Towns was told he was heading to the Knicks four minutes before the rest of the world found out, making the Friday night move as much of a surprise for Karl-Anthony as it was for NBA fans scrolling through their phones minutes later.
“Four minutes. By the time the shock wore off, Shams [Charnia] had already tweeted,” Towns said, before revealing he wasn't informed until Timberwolves president Tim Connelly informed him of the trade face-to-face.
“I didn't get called. Tim [Connelly] told me to my face that I was traded,” Towns added. “He came to my house. I respect it. Honestly, it's a tough situation regardless of what would have happened. But, the fact that it happened that way, I gotta give him respect. It was me, three of my closest friends, and my pops. So, shoutout to him.
“He came to the house by himself with five dudes there who could have just started spazzing out and crashed out. So, I gotta give him respect for that, for sure.”
Karl-Anthony Towns always thought he'd retire with Timberwolves
The shock of the blockbuster trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the New York Knicks wore off, but Towns admits he always envisioned spending his entire NBA career with one team. While the Edison, New Jersey native embraces a new chapter with the Knicks, he reflects on how his former organization saw things differently and chose a new route.
“I thought I was going to retire there,” Towns said. “I thought it was going to be a place that I called home for my whole career, and then after, but my former employer did not agree with the ideology that had.”
KAT played in his first game as a Knick at Madison Square Garden in a 117-94 preseason win against the Washington Wizards last week. On Tuesday, Towns will make his official debut against the champion Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
