Knicks fans shouldn't read too much into KAT still being invested in the Wolves

Three weeks ago, Karl-Anthony Towns thought he was on track to start his 10th season with the Timberwolves. Little did he know he'd soon be traded to the New York Knicks. A surprise Friday night trade resulted in KAT returning to the Tri-State area and the Knicks losing two key contributors to the Timberwolves.

The trade blindsided Towns, but Minnesota GM Tim Connelly did go to KAT's house to tell him about it before the news broke. A little over 24 hours later, Towns was on a flight to New York. He was at the facility for New York's Media Day but couldn't participate in team activities until the trade became official several days later.

Towns has assimilated well into the Knicks' lineup and has started to build chemistry with his new teammates, but that doesn't mean he no longer cares about the Timberwolves. A piece of him will always belong to Minnesota.

Towns attended the Billie Eilish concert at MSG on Wednesday with his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods. She posted a video on her Instagram story of KAT at the concert, watching the Timberwolves' preseason game against the Bulls on his phone.

KAT watches Timberwolves preseason game on his phone at concert

You can bet that some Knicks fans also tuned into the Timberwolves' preseason game to watch Randle's debut. It was also Lonzo Ball's first game since 2022. Towns likely just wanted to see his former teammates play. Eilish might be slightly offended that he wasn't giving his full attention to the concert, but Knicks fans shouldn't be offended.

It's not unusual for players to keep tabs on their former teammates/team. After last December's trade, Randle watched RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley's first game with the Raptors. It's not like Towns' relationships with players like Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert ended when the trade happened.

Towns won't have as much time to pay attention to his former squad when the regular season starts. His life will be consumed by playing, practicing, preparing for games, and traveling. An 82-game regular season is a grind.

Some Minnesota fans didn't want KAT to be traded, so watching the above clip of him is probably bittersweet. They might even convince themselves that Towns doesn't want to be in New York, which is false. He's closer to his family and plays for the team he grew up rooting for. It's not as if the Timberwolves traded him to a bottom-dweller in the East (it's the opposite).

It's still too early to know how the 2024-25 season will turn out, but a Knicks-Timberwolves NBA Finals would be a lot of fun.