According to reports from The Athletic and ESPN, four-time NBA All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns is on his way to the New York Knicks, as the Minnesota Timberwolves finalize a trade that will send him to the Big Apple. In return, Minnesota will receive three-time NBA All-Star forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo, and a 2025 protected top-13 first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons.
Towns, who has spent his entire nine-season career with the Timberwolves, boasts impressive career averages of 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. Drafted first overall by Minnesota in 2015 out of the University of Kentucky, he has been a cornerstone of the franchise. Just last season, Towns helped lead the Timberwolves to their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years, though they were ultimately eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
Rumors of Towns’ departure began swirling after he posted a cryptic ellipsis on X (formerly Twitter), hinting at possible changes on the horizon. Now, it appears the Knicks have secured the versatile center to bolster their roster.
As part of the trade, the Charlotte Hornets are reportedly involved to facilitate the financial aspect of the deal. The Athletic reports that the Knicks will send guard DaQuan Jeffries along with draft compensation to the Hornets to complete the transaction.
Julius Randle, a 10-year NBA veteran, will now head to Minnesota after spending the last five seasons with the Knicks. Randle, 29, averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5 assists per game last season, despite being limited to 46 games following shoulder surgery in April. Meanwhile, DiVincenzo set a Knicks franchise record with 283 three-pointers last season, averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game.
The 2024-25 NBA season kicks off on October 22, with the Timberwolves set to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena, while the Knicks will take on the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, at TD Garden.
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