76ers on SI Reacts to Knicks-Timberwolves Blockbuster Trade

A Philadelphia 76ers rival made a major trade on Friday night.
Dec 20, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts to his foul call in front of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts to his foul call in front of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris (12) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

A Philadelphia 76ers rival got even stronger on Friday night. Before the New York Knicks take the court to begin preparing for the 2024-2025 NBA season, they struck a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to land the former No. 1 overall pick, Karl Anthony-Towns.

This league…

Earlier in the offseason, the Sixers watched the Knicks scoop up one of their former draft picks as they landed Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets. At that point, it was clear the Knicks were truly going all in by being as aggressive as possible in the trade market.

The loss of Isaiah Hartenstein was expected to leave New York with some major question marks for next year. Mitchell Robinson’s injury timeline didn’t do the team any favors. With Robinson expected to be out for several months to begin the year, the Knicks dipped back into the trade market and picked up an All-Star.

76ers on SI Reacts to the Karl Anthony-Towns Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers on SI show is available on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon streaming platforms.

Slight Shuffling

The Sixers had a small roster shuffle at the beginning of the week. After parting ways with an undrafted rookie in David Jones, the team added a former Golden State Warriors guard in Lester Quinones. The team has a full house of two-way players in Quinones, Justin Edwards, and Jeff Dowtin.

Training Camp Predictions

There’s nothing like predicting the MVP of the offseason and being left with conflicting forecasts. While a guy like Caleb Martin could have a quiet training camp, it’s not that far-fetched to say he could also enter the Bahamas MVP conversation. Or maybe that’s a title an expected All-Star like Tyrese Maxey will hold. Soon enough, we’ll find out the training camp winners as the Sixers get to work next week.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA