The Knicks made things official Wednesday afternoon, announcing the acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Charlotte Hornets.
New York acquired cities from Minnesota and the draft rights to James Nnaji of the Hornets, while Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a future first-round pick when to the Timberwolves. Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr. and two future second-round picks were sent to the Hornets.
“We are beyond excited to welcome Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks family,” said team president. Leo Rose. “Karl-Anthony brings a skill set that is unique to the game of basketball. He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defense that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league. Karl-Anthony has proven throughout his career to be a high-caliber player and person on and off the court who will complement the type of team and culture we continue to build in New York.”
Towns, who grew up in Piscataway, NJ, was selected by Minnesota with the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Over his nine professional seasons, Towns averaged 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range.
Coming into Towns, the Knicks had to part ways with Randle, who blossomed into All-Stardom with the Knicks, winning Most Improved Player in 2020-21. In five seasons with New York, Randle was an All-Star three times, averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
“I want to sincerely thank Julius for his contributions to both the Knicks organization and our community,” Rose said. “An All-Star and All-NBA player, Julius worked tirelessly day in and day out to represent the Knicks organization with grit, grace and tremendous skill. Julius played a major role in establishing the foundation and culture of our team and we can’t thank you enough Julius for what he has done for this city and organization both on and off the court.”
Rose also thanked DiVincenzo and the other former Knicks involved in the trade for all they brought to the business.
“Over the last year, Donte not only captivated the city with one of the most iconic shots in Knicks history, but also immediately bought into the culture we’ve built here and has been an example on and off the court since the moment he arrived as a player. We wish Julius, Donte, Charlic, DaQuan and Keita all the best going forward and thank them for all their contributions to our team.”
