Towns reveals how soon he found out about Knicks trade before the news broke

Three weeks ago, the unthinkable happened. The New York Knicks traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nobody saw it coming, not even KAT.

Towns was about to enter his 10th season in Minnesota. He was the Timberwolves' No. 1 draft pick in 2015. Minnesota was coming off its most successful season in a long time after it reached the Western Conference Finals. KAT thought he and the Timberwolves would build on that success in 2024-25. Little did Towns know that he would be traded before the season started.

KAT was the latest guest on the 'Roommates Show' with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Matt Hillman. Hart wasted no time and asked Towns about the trade shortly after the episode began. Fans already knew that Timberwolves GM Tim Connelly went to KAT's house to tell him about the trade (subscription required), but fans didn't know how much of a heads-up Towns had before Shams Charania reported the deal.

Towns said on the podcast that Connelly told him about the trade four minutes before Charania tweeted, meaning he didn't have much time to process it before the world knew. KAT said he appreciated Connelly telling him face-to-face, and Brunson also respected that.

Karl-Anthony Towns knew about Knicks trade minutes before it was reported

Towns said that he worked out at Minnesota's facility that day and thought everything was fine. He didn't know it was his last day with the Timberwolves.

KAT said he thought he would retire in Minnesota, even though it's unusual for a player to stay with one team for their entire career. There wasn't a reason for him to think otherwise. If the Knicks hadn't lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, Towns would still be in Minnesota. New York needed to address its hole at center, especially after the Mitchell Robinson injury news.

Is Towns unhappy about being in New York? No. He said he's excited to play with his new teammates and is glad the trade happened before and not during the season. KAT said that it was "weird" when the Knicks played the Timberwolves in the preseason on Sunday and that it would've been weirder if it were a regular-season game.

Towns didn't have much time to get his life together before he left for New York, but things would've been far more hectic if the trade happened in February before the deadline. At least he's had more time to settle and acclimate to his new city. It helps that he's close to his family in Jersey.