'That's my dawg': Anthony Edwards says KAT trade 'definitely hurt'

Edwards revealed his thoughts about the KAT trade to the public for the first time.

Anthony Edwards at Timberwolves media day on Sept. 30, 2024. / Nolan O'Hara

The reported trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota to New York and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo from the Knicks to the Timberwolves hasn't been finalized so team officials aren't talking about it, but players are acknowledging it and sharing their views. Among those talking Monday at Timberwolves media day were Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert.

"I think everybody know KAT my brother, so that definitely hurt. But it's a business so I just gotta roll with it," Edwards said. On his new teammates, Edwards said he's "ready to get to know them" and "try to figure it out and get it figured out as fast as we can because we're trying to get back to where we was and going even farther."

Edwards is now transitioning into the role as the unquestioned alpha of the team. Naz Reid is the only player on the roster that has been with the Timberwolves longer than him, but he's not quite ready to talk about what life will be like without Towns, who he considered his co-No. 1 star on the team last season.

"I don't know, man. I feel like it's kind of weird to talk about it because he just got traded. That's my dawg, man. Wasn't like a one or two situation. It was, we both was the one, we just played off of each other," Edwards said. "I'm happy to be whatever the guy that they want me to be now but we was just together so it's hard for me to talk about."

Gobert's thoughts when asked about the Towns trade revealed his views on if his role will evolve.

"I think KAT is one-of-a-kind player, honestly, but I think my role on this team is not going to be any different than it was last year. And I feel the same way with everyone in this locker room," Gobert said, before noting that there will be more pressure on Reid to step up.

"Obviously some guys, I'm thinking about maybe Naz, some guys might have even more responsibilities," he said. "Naz has shown that he could handle the responsibilities when KAT was injured or even when KAT was playing. Naz was already a huge part of our team last year. I think we're just going to be who we are. Obviously there's only one KAT in the world, there's only one player that has that skillset that he has, but we gotta keep trying to get better as a group and keep the same identity as a team and keep learning and keep getting better."