Hornets To Serve As Third Team In Karl-Anthony Towns Trade To Knicks

The Hornets will be a third team in the trade that is sending Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves to the Knicks, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Charlotte’s exact involvement and the other assets involved are to be determined. The Hornets reportedly will be moving at least one draft pick.

“Both the Knicks and Wolves can’t take on additional salary in the deal, requiring a third team to get involved to make the money work,” Bontemps wrote.

In return for Towns, the Timberwolves will receive forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round draft pick (via the Pistons), per The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski, who first reported the deal.

Reports surfaced in July that the Knicks had a strong interest in Towns, who played for New York coach Tom Thibodeau when Thibodeau coached the Timberwolves. Also, Knicks president Leon Rose used to be Towns’ agent when Rose ran CAA.

Towns and Anthony Edwards have massive extensions kicking in next season and Rudy Gobert is slated to make max money as well. It was widely believed that Towns or Gobert needed to be traded for the Timberwolves to avoid paying a huge luxury tax bill under the new CBA.

Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks last season, shooting 50.4% from the field, 41.6% from on 3-pointers and 87.3% from the free-throw line.

A four-time All-Star, he carries career averages of 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.3 blocks. 

Towns, who has made two All-NBA teams, signed a four-year, $221 million extension in July 2022. He will make $49.4 million this season. 

New York, of course, already made one major move this offseason, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets. Now they have made another and the incoming player is even bigger.

(Ashish Mathur contributed to this report.)