Timberwolves react to Karl-Anthony Towns trade at Media Day
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Timberwolves held their media day on Monday at Target Center, with one of the best players in franchise history nowhere to be found.
Karl-Anthony Towns was not in Minneapolis. He, in fact, was at his new home, the New York Knicks training facility. Late Friday night, news broke that Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves had traded Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first round pick. The deal is not final and official, and neither Connelly nor Chris Finch would address the move specifically.
"I can’t comment on anything that’s yet to happen. So no," Connelly said.
"No I’m not at liberty to say anything, you know that," Finch said.
What the players are saying
Towns was the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, but the Timberwolves knew it would be unlikely to keep him, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert all on maximum contracts. Edwards, Gobert and Mike Conley Jr. were all candid and honest when talking about the elephant in the room on Monday.
Edwards had been his teammate while he blossomed into being the best player and the face of the franchise. He said Monday that was a shared duty with Towns. Edwards was on a plane flying into town for training camp when he got the news.
"I think everybody knows KAT is my brother, so that definitely hurt. It’s a business, so I just gotta roll with it," Edwards said. "That’s my dawg. It wasn’t like a one or two situation, we both was the one, we just played off each other. We was just together, it’s hard to talk about."
Gobert came to the Timberwolves two years ago in his own blockbuster trade. The two formed a bond and the big man duo helped lead the team to its first Western Conference Finals in 20 years. He was shocked to learn of the trade Friday night.
"Not something anyone expected a few days before training camp, so still processing it. KAT is someone I have a lot of love and respect for. It’s part of the business, it’s never easy. Definitely going to miss him," Gobert said.
Conley is a veteran, and understands the business side of it.
"We have all the trust in the world in Tim and what he’s been able to do for this team in a short amount of time," Conley said. "From my understanding, they handled it better than probably any organization that’s ever handled trading anybody. Super professional in the way they handle their business."
Can Edwards become the best ever?
With Towns out of the picture, the Timberwolves are Edwards’ team whether they’ll say it publicly or not. He’s the franchise player, and one of the faces of the NBA.
"We continue to challenge Anthony because we think he can be one of the best players ever. We don’t say that lightly," Connelly said.
Edwards won’t shy away from that challenge. Coming off leading the Timberwolves to one of their best seasons ever, and an Olympic gold in France, he embraces every challenge.
"You know what I think, right? I think he’s right," Edwards said.
‘Our room thinks we can win a championship’
The Wolves won 50 regular season games for the second time in team history last season. They went to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in two decades. Connelly says the goal is to win a trophy, but the season isn’t lost if they don’t.
"Our room thinks we can win a championship, but it’s not a zero sum season if we don’t win a championship, it won’t be an unsuccessful season. We have to believe for it to become reality," Connelly said.
What’s next
The Timberwolves open training camp on Tuesday. Their first preseason game is Friday. They open the regular season Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the L.A. Lakers.