A year later, Karl-Anthony Towns reflects on being traded by Minnesota

KAT said he's still stunned, even 13 months after the blockbuster deal that sent him to the Knicks.

Nov 5, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) talks to New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

13 months later, there's a part of Karl-Anthony Towns that is still shocked the Minnesota Timberwolves traded him to the New York Knicks.

It was late September of last year, just before the start of training camp, when the Wolves and Knicks pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal that sent Towns to New York for a package centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. After facing his former team for just the second time in regular season action on Wednesday night, Towns was about how he reflects on the deal now that some time has passed.

"I'm still stunned," he said. "It's weird. You feel more like a Knick now after what we went through last year to get to the heights we went to, but it's weird when you see that Timberwolves jersey, especially them fire black ones that y'all got, and not being able to see Towns on the back, it's a weird feeling. I love those guys, I love that locker room to death and would do anything for them, even if it wasn't about basketball."

Towns put up 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists on a night where the Knicks dominated on the offensive glass and thoroughly routed the Timberwolves in the second half of a 137-114 win at Madison Square Garden. He's now 2-0 with a pair of blowout wins against Minnesota, having exploded for 32-20-6 in the emotional first meeting between the teams at Target Center last December. KAT was injured for last season's rematch at MSG, which was a 17-point Wolves win.

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

It probably doesn't hurt that he still has a pretty good idea of what the Timberwolves are doing.

"I know my play package (passed) on to Naz (Reid)," he said with a smile. "I'm pretty positive on the Horns action for them. It gives me a little bit of insight, but we built something special over there. And they're just a really, really, really good team. I was about to say 'we,' but they're a really good team. I expect nothing less from them (than) to be great out there. You gotta compete against it. Just because you may know what they're gonna do, don't mean you can stop it. Tonight we did a great job as a team finding a way to win."

Towns, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, spent the first nine seasons of his career in Minnesota, where he was named the rookie of the year and made four All-Star teams. He's second in Timberwolves history in points and rebounds, behind only Kevin Garnett. Towns helped the franchise through some difficult years early in his tenure and played his final game for the team in the 2024 Western Conference Finals. He built a legacy in Minnesota with his play, his loyalty, and his dedication to the community off of the court.

But a trade like last year's is a difficult part of the business of professional sports. It's been a win-win for both teams so far, with the Wolves and Knicks both making it to their respective conference finals this past season. Minnesota's two bright spots in Wednesday's win were Randle and DiVincenzo, the ex-Knicks. They also drafted French big man Joan Beringer with the pick they got in the KAT deal.

The second and final meeting between the two teams this season will be in Minneapolis on Tuesday, December 23rd.

Ant signs his shoes and gifts them to KAT's father postgame 🥹@anthonyedwards 🤝 @KarlTowns pic.twitter.com/RrxD7BPeRl

— NBA (@NBA) November 6, 2025

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