The Knicks finally landed Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade with the Timberwolves, but it didn’t come easily. A lot of people weren’t even so sure the pursuit was real.
None of that mattered to New York — which refused to be denied, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“The Knicks were really pursuing Karl-Anthony Towns, and this has been ongoing for over the last year or two. He’s been a guy of interest,” Charania said on the Throwbacks podcast. “You think about Donovan Mitchell, you think about Karl-Anthony Towns.
“Obviously, they were able to get Jalen Brunson, they got Mikal Bridges kind of quietly during draft week. This pursuit of Karl-Anthony Towns really picked up steam over the last week or two when the Knicks started calling Minnesota about him, making offers, making concepts of offers. They were just given hard ‘no’s’– repeatedly.”
Until, of course, they weren’t. Eventually, the Timberwolves agreed to a deal with the Knicks (and Hornets) that sent Towns to New York and Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick to Minnesota. From the sounds of things, DiVincenzo was the key for the Wolves.
“DiVincenzo’s inclusion made this a real conversation in Minnesota’s eyes,” Charania said. “That’s someone Minnesota came really, really close to signing in free agency in 2023. A lot of people around the league believed he was headed to Minnesota, but then the Knicks pursued him and got him locked into a four-year deal.
“Now Minnesota gets the guy they coveted, and they get Julius Randle. He has a long-standing relationship with Chris Finch. I’m told that he spoke, and he’s very excited to be in Minnesota.”
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