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Timberwolves talk KAT's return to Minneapolis
The Minnesota Timberwolves host the New York Knicks Thursday night, which marks the return of Karl-Anthony Towns to Minneapolis for the first time since being traded just before the start of training camp.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves host the New York Knicks on national TV Thursday night at Target Center.
It marks the first time Karl-Anthony Towns will be back in Minneapolis since being traded to the Knicks just before training camp.
‘It’ll probably be very emotional’
Why it matters: Towns was selected No. 1 overall by Minnesota in 2015 and spent his first nine seasons with the Timberwolves. He endured a lot of losing before he helped lead the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals last season for the first time in 20 years.
Thursday night, he’ll arrive to Target Center and head to the visitors’ locker room for the first time.
"It’ll probably be very emotional. He’s been here for nine years, this is the first time he’s been on the other side so I’m sure it will be. I’ll be right there with him, he’s a guy who’s taught me the ropes, helped me get to the predicament I’m in today," Naz Reid said Wednesday after practice. "Obviously you’ve got to compete, but he’s still my brother at the end of the day."
The trade
What we know: Just days before the start of training camp, Tim Connelly dealt Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Connelly went to Towns’ home to tell him he had been traded before the news broke on social media.
Chris Finch has been the coach of the Timberwolves since 2021 and had Towns as a player for three-plus seasons.
"KAT was great. He was highly-coachable, you could get on him in film session, get on him on the practice floor. He liked to practice, he brought good energy to practice," Finch said. "He cheered for Ant from the moment that he got here and really set the tone for everything since I’ve been here."
Revenge game for Randle, DiVincenzo?
Why you should care: The two teams met in the NBA preseason at Madison Square Garden, but Thursday will be the first regular season meeting.
It’ll also be the first time DiVincenzo and Randle see their former teams. DiVincenzo says he’s happy in Minnesota.
"S**t, I’m loving life. I’m healthy, family is good, basketball is coming along. I’m feeling great, I’m happy, I’m just happy in life," DiVincenzo said. "It’s still family, I wish them nothing but success individually and collectively. It’s not normal to make a trade a day before media day, both sides it takes time to adjust and great things take time."
Randle didn’t put much stock into Thursday, saying it’s another game while smirking at every other follow-up question from media on Wednesday. So yeah, it’s not just another game, especially for Towns.