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Knicks Wanted Karl-Anthony Towns for Years

The New York Knicks have long coveted their new star.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 20, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks on against the New York Knicks in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks on against the New York Knicks in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks have fulfilled a goal that they have had for years when they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons.

Towns had been floated in trade rumors for a while, including moves to the Knicks, and the trade confirmed the interest.

"The Knicks have long been linked to Towns. Rose was his agent when he was the head of CAA. Towns Sr. attended Rose’s first game as Knicks president. Rose and New York exec William Wesley are close friends of the Towns family," SNY insider Ian Begley writes. "They had periodically checked in with Minnesota on Towns, dating back to at least last summer. But there never seemed to be much traction. As recently as last week, people with the Knicks told associates that they were prepared to start the season with Randle and see how it went."

Something changed in the last few days that opened the door for a trade to happen. The Knicks wanted to keep DiVincenzo, but once news came about that Mitchell Robinson would be out until at least December, they appeared more willing to make a deal.

The Knicks needed a center, and now they have exactly who they wanted in Towns. The Knicks could have negotiated a long-term deal with Randle that would have been in the neighborhood of Towns' four-year, $220 million contract.

Now that Towns is in the fold, the Knicks have their long-coveted top player to team up with Jalen Brunson as they look to bring New York back into the championship contender conversation in hopes of winning the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973.

Towns and the Knicks are set to begin training camp this week.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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