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Timberwolves new player press conference [RAW]
The Minnesota Timberwolves held a press conference Thursday morning to introduce their three newest players, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Keita Bates-Diop.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Following a blockbuster trade that sent former franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT) to the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves held a press conference on Thursday to introduce the players they received in return – Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop.
What Wolves received
As the highlight of the trade – and likely KAT’s immediate replacement – Julius Randle has played 10 seasons in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.
Randle is a two-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in the 2021 season. Last season, he averaged 24 points and 9.2 rebounds per game during an injury-shortened season that saw him play only 46 times.
DiVincenzo has appeared in 354 regular season games in six NBA seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, the Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks.
Last season, he averaged a career best 16 points a game on 44% shooting, including shooting 40% from beyond the three-point line, and a career best 283 three pointers made. In 2021, he won an NBA championship with the Bucks.
In somewhat of a homecoming, Bates-Diop was originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the 48th pick in 2018. He has since played in 283 regular season games, averaging 16 minutes, 6 points and 3 rebounds on 47% shooting.
As part of the trade, the Timberwolves will also receive a protected 2025 first-round pick, and send the Charlotte Hornets a 2025 second-round pick.
What they’re saying
Longtime play-by-play Timberwolves radio announcer Alan Horton kicked off the event before president of basketball operations Tim Connelly gave an explanation of why he made the move.
"These guys bring special on-court skills. They bring toughness," Connelly said. "I think that's increasingly important as the CBA has kind of evolved in the last couple of years. We don't treat trading a person like KAT lightly. We were very specific about what it would take. The asking price is very high when you see what these guys accomplished last year; they come from a winning environment."
When asked about his initial thoughts after being told he would be traded to the Twin Cities, Randle said the news came as a shock, but one he welcomed quickly.
"I woke up the next morning, and I was really, really excited. It was a breath of fresh air," Randle said. "My only thing is I just want to help… I want to help win a championship. That's the only thing that matters."
Randle played for head coach Chris Finch before in New Orleans, when Finch was an assistant, and says he has complete trust in his ability and judgment to put him in positions to succeed.
"When I left Finch in New Orleans, I wanted him in New York with me, because he's been such a great coach. I've always thought he was a genius," Randle said. "He's a great communicator, knows how to get the best out of his players. I just felt like he opened up my game, and I became a really versatile player."
Limited to playing roughly half the season last year due to a shoulder injury, Randle says he now feels healthy.
"It was extremely frustrating. But my shoulder is fine. It just feels good to be healthy," Randle said. "[I] had a great summer rehab and training, and am excited to add to this team."
Meanwhile, DiVincenzo expressed his pleasure with joining a team he had previously considered signing with as a free agent a year ago prior to ultimately signing with New York.
"It's a good feeling when the team that traded for you was a team that you were looking at last summer," he said on Thursday. "I realize the opportunity here."
Money moving
Towns was starting a four-year, $220 million supermax contract extension this season.
With Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards also on sizable contracts, Connelly needed to shed some salary and create roster flexibility for future seasons if the team is to remain competitive and keep its young core of Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels intact.
Prior to the trade being made official, the Knicks were rumored to have interest in Towns – who is from New Jersey – for a while.
The Timberwolves drafted Towns No. 1 overall in 2015, and he spent eight seasons in Minnesota.
Throughout his tenure, he helped lead the Timberwolves to their second-best season in franchise history last year, which also included the team’s first run to the Western Conference Finals since 2004.
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