Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball in the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks.
Arecent photo of Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns partying with New York Knicks legend Latrell Sprewell in Manhattan caused a stir online.
Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns & Latrell Sprewell at Marquee Nightclub New York, part owned by MSG
Towns and Sprewell, who also spent his last few years in the NBA in Minnesota, were spotted at Marquee Night Club. The hip New York club is formerly partly owned by James Dolan’s Madison Square Garden Entertainment, Inc. Last month, MSG sold their majority stakes at Tao Group Hospitality, which oversee several entertainment properties and businesses, including Marquee.
Towns has been linked to the Knicks ever since Leon Rose, his former agent and a fellow New Jersey native, became the team president.
Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney reported two weeks ago that “the interest in making that happen would be mutual.”
“KAT and the Knicks are intertwined. To some people, it is more a matter of when they go after him, not if,” one league source told Deveney.
Stephen A. Smith added more fuel when he suggested on the May 9 episode of ESPN’s First Take that the Knicks should trade inconsistent playoff performer Julius Randle, the team’s two-time All-Star and All-NBA player, for Towns.
Based on the comments on the photo of Towns and Sprewell, the three-time All-Star will have a hard time winning a segment of the Knicks fan base if he gets traded to New York.
What’s Happening in Minnesota?
Towns recently revealed in a podcast guesting with Los Angeles Clippers’ Paul George that he was caught by surprise by the Rudy Gobert blockbuster trade in the offseason.
“It was definitely something I wasn’t ready for. I remember being in London and getting that call,” Towns said. “I didn’t actually have no idea that was happening. I was told by social media like everybody else, so that was something.”
His revelation raised some eyebrows as it was strange for a franchise cornerstone not to be informed of such a trade of that magnitude ahead of time.
Towns added that he was expecting to play center as he’s accustomed in the past years, but Gobert’s arrival meant reverting to playing power forward, a position he played in his early years in the NBA.
“It was definitely an adjustment,” Towns said. “I had to move, so it changed how my offseason was going to be approached. I had already started my offseason workouts as a five. I was preparing as a five, watching film as a five. Then halfway through the offseason, throw all that out the window.”
Will Timberwolves Trade KAT?
The Timberwolves did not meet expectations after going all-in the Gobert trade. They failed to get past the play-in tournament as the Towns and Gobert experiment looked dicey in their limited time together.
“In the 529 minutes Gobert and Towns shared the court, Minnesota had an offensive efficiency of 106.2, worse than the last place Charlotte Hornets,” according to ESPN’s NBA front office insider Bobby Marks.
Towns missed 52 games due to a grade 3 calf strain injury.
“Minnesota could explore options to break up its core and build around Anthony Edwards. However, Towns has failed to play 50 games or more in three out of the past four seasons (he played 74 games last season, earning All-NBA) and his $224 million supermax extension does not kick in until next season,” Marks wrote in his offseason guide for the Timberwolves.
The 27-year-old Towns will be a significant upgrade for the Knicks at the center position. But his price tag and injury history could scare the Knicks, who have been prudent in their star-hunting.