Minnesota Timberwolves President Tim Connelly has characterized the major trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks and bringing Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota as a mutually beneficial outcome for both franchises. With their respective seasons now concluded, both teams having advanced to the conference finals – just one series shy of the NBA Finals – Connelly echoed the sentiment that it was indeed a “win-win.”
The Knicks made their deepest playoff run in 25 years, while the Timberwolves maintained their strong performance, having also reached the conference championship the previous year. Connelly explained that while he believes the trade served both sides well, he finds it surprisingly emotional to watch one of his former star players compete for a different team.
“I think it was a win-win,” Connelly stated. “It`s funny, I texted with KAT; I probably get more emotional watching their games than our games, because KAT had such a great playoffs and great year in New York. I`m not a believer in there`s one winner and 29 losers. I think too often that`s a narrative that we all run with. I told that to our team after the game.”
Towns was the first overall draft pick by the Timberwolves in 2015 and played his entire career for Minnesota until the 2024 trade. He was a key factor in helping the Knicks reach a new level, alongside other significant players. Connelly enjoyed seeing Towns, whom he described as a “great guy,” perform exceptionally well.
Both Randle and Towns were significant contributors to their new teams, finishing second in points scored for their respective clubs during both the regular season and postseason this year.
Connelly reflected on the season outcomes, saying, “I think if you were to ask either front office last year, `Hey, worst-case scenario you`re gonna lose in the conference finals,` I think we`d have probably taken it even though we both have higher aspirations. But it was fun to watch, it was fun to see all the guys in the trade do well, they`re all really, really good guys.”
Jasper Hawthorne