Karl-Anthony Towns was long regarded as the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but when the standout center joined the New York Knicks in 2024, the Eastern Conference’s landscape changed. It was a big shift considering how close he had been to his Minneapolis followers. He considers his decision to relocate to the Big Apple a year later.
To be fair, KAT’s trade to the Knicks was unexpected. In exchange, Minnesota, the team that selected him first overall in 2015, received Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a top-13 protected first-round selection. The Hornets were also involved in the three-team trade. Was there a win-win situation?
Despite this “balanced” deal, Towns expressed his affection for the Wolves family while simultaneously acknowledging his disappointment at being sent away. He repeated the idea in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show: You never forget your first.
Before reminiscing about his favorite moments with the team, which included making it to the 2024 Conference Finals, Towns said:
“Minnesota was amazing,” “The Timberwolves treated me with nothing but love and respect. To have those years there, and finally see success happening with our team there, it was awesome. The fans appreciated it a bunch.”
“I’ve built my life there, I’ve had so many memories there. So, it’s kind of like that first breakup. It was tough,”
Nevertheless, Towns was upset when he learned that he was being moved. Of course, compared to the Timberwolves, New York is a far larger city and a much larger franchise. However, the 29-year-old believed that he was being expelled from his house.
