This time last week, all was quiet in the NBA world. It was a regular Friday night until Shams Charania reported that the Timberwolves were finalizing a deal to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. Fans soon learned Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo would be part of the deal.
The trade is still a hot topic of conversation. Players around the league, including D'Angelo Russell, reacted to the trade. Paul George gave his opinion on the trade at the Sixers' training camp on Friday.
George only thought he'd be the biggest addition to the Eastern Conference. He signed a max contract with Philadelphia in free agency. Towns wasn't a free agent, which made the Knicks trade more surprising. There was at least some speculation that PG13 would leave the Clippers.
So, how does George feel about Towns also making the move to the East Coast?
“Terrible trade. Karl is awful. He’s old... That was a bad trade."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 4, 2024
Paul George has jokes for Karl-Anthony Towns 😂
(via @BySamDiGiovanni) pic.twitter.com/g2WhG5EZt2
Paul George jokes that Knicks' trade for Karl-Anthony Towns is "awful"
Jokes aside, George gave his honest opinion on the deal. He said the trade will give Jalen Brunson "more space" and allow the "offense to thrive" with KAT at center. George added that the Knicks are "on the rise" like the Sixers and "definitely made a splash with that pickup."
The Eastern Conference looks vastly different than it did last season. Brunson no longer has his former co-star, Randle. He gained another Villanova friend but lost DiVincenzo. Embiid and Tyrese Maxey added a third star. It was a risky signing by the Sixers front office, but it was necessary to try to maximize Embiid's prime.
New York and Philadelphia took big steps toward dethroning Boston in the conference standings. The Celtics have their starting five back and will try to become the first team since the Warriors to win back-to-back championships. Watching the East's top teams compete will be a lot of fun.
Long story short -- the Knicks/Sixers matchups will be even more entertaining than anticipated. Towns and Embiid aren't exactly friendly with one another, so KAT will fit in perfectly with New York after last season's heated playoff matchup. Fans are old enough to remember when the Knicks had Embiid on their trade radar.
Luckily, New York and Philadelphia are in the same group for the NBA Cup. The Knicks will play one of their group games in Philadelphia at Wells Fargo Center, which might as well be the second MSG. Get ready, KAT.