'Who is Karl?': Unofficial Towns trade is elephant in the room at Knicks media day

Players involved in the Timberwolves-Knicks blockbuster are not available at media day.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) flexes his left hand during the third quarter of Game 7 of a second-round series against the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden in New York on May 19, 2024. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves' trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks hasn't yet been made official, so the big talker of the weekend is the elephant in the room at the team's NBA media days on Monday.

Star guard Jalen Brunson was asked whether he said hello to Towns when he arrived in New York.

"Who is Karl?" Brunson responded. "Don't know who that is."

Q: "Did you say hi to Karl when he got here?"

Jalen Brunson: "Who is Karl? Don't know who that is." pic.twitter.com/MNM29vASeO

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) September 30, 2024

Knicks and former Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau said he can't comment on the reported trade and deflected multiple questions about Towns. He was asked about coaching Towns in the past.

"Nice try," he said.

Tom Thibodeau is asked about coaching Karl-Anthony Towns in the past:

"Good try" pic.twitter.com/Akp5ZIRUxm

— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) September 30, 2024

Josh Hart, however, did acknowledge the trade, though he pretended that he was just learning of it when he was being asked. He described the trade as bitter-sweet as his former Knicks and college teammate Donte DiVincenzo is heading to Minneapolis as part of the reported deal.

"Sometimes the NBA is a tough business," Hart said. "KAT's an amazing player, someone who will be really good in terms of spacing. Knocking down shots, blocking shots, creating attention, creating plays for his teammates, so you love it and hate it."

Because the trade has not been made official, the players involved are not attending media day, though Towns was seen arriving at the Knicks facility. According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, the trade is expected to be finalized early this week. Along with DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves acquired Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop and a Detroit Pistons protected first-round pick in the deal for Towns.

The Timberwolves host their media day later Monday afternoon.