Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Talks ‘Weird’ Timberwolves Reunion

The New York Knicks and Minnesot Timberwolves will do battle after bartering on Sunday evening.

Jan 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to drive past New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

It turns out that "good bye" was indeed simply "see you later" for some of the major names involved in the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves' super swap.

The WNBA Finals showdown between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx won't be the only matchup between the metro and the Midwest on Sunday, as the Knicks and Timberwolves are set to stage a preseason game at Madison Square Garden (6 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

While meaningless in the grand scheme of things, it'd be fair to call Sunday's exhibition one of the more intriguing get-togethers in recent preseason memory: New York and Minnesota's men's squads will do battle for the first time since a high-profile deal that sent All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns to Manhattan. In return, the Knicks parted ways with a package headlined by Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, both of whom made major contributions to last year's 50-win tally and second-place finish.

“It’s going to be weird,” Towns said as the Knicks prepped for his former employers' visit, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “It’s going to be very weird on Sunday.”

Towns is still finding his metropolitan footing in the wake of the deal: he has yet to find a permanent home and mentioned that he still gets updates from the Timberwolves on his phone.

Fortunately, Towns said, the Knicks have let him take his time and he has begun to reward the faith placed in him: the 28-year-old has immediately taken to Knicks hardwood in an attempt to grow instant chemistry with new teammates like Jalen Brunson and New York was offered an appetizing taste of what he could bring to the table in Wednesday's unofficial MSG debut against Washington. Towns put up a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double in the 117-94 victory, pushing the Knicks to 2-0 on the early fall ledgers.

"Me and my girlfriend were having dinner. She looked at me and she just tapped me on the shoulder and she said, ‘Can you really believe this is our life now?’" a wistful Towns declared, per Braziller. "(But) it’s the business. It’s the game, got to go out there and compete at a high level.”

Randle will more than likely miss Sunday's game as he continues to work his way back from January's season-ending shoulder injury endured on MSG hardwood. DiVincenzo, on the other hand, has appeared in each of Minnesota's two preseason games thus far and could well take the floor for a hearty Manhattan send-off on Sunday.

DiVincenzo's collegiate/professional teammae Josh Hart has publicly hoped that fans will offer him that courtesy but has stressed that the Knicks still have a job to do: the late trade for Towns has somewhat decimated the Knicks' depth and familiarity, especially considering the staple nature of DiVincenzo and Randle.

“I think the whole thing was quick and kind of unusual,” Hart said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. "(The Towns deal) was a trade three days before training camp started, so that was already kind of weird because that weekend you’re kind of gearing up for training camp that upcoming Monday."

"So that was unusual, and then obviously we’ve got to play them on Sunday. It’s a little unusual, but the NBA’s a crazy business.”

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