Karl-Anthony Towns was on the New York Knicks’ radar for a long time.
The Knicks finally landed Towns last Friday in a blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first-round pick (via the Detroit Pistons) to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade has not officially been completed yet.
In the aftermath of the trade, it’s become clear that the Knicks were pursuing Towns for a while. While the deal seemingly came out of nowhere, right before the start of training camps and the NBA season, the two teams had reportedly gone back and forth for months.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Knicks had been making offers to the Timberwolves since the start of the offseason and had several of them rejected.
“This is something the Knicks were quietly working on for months, since the start of the offseason, since draft night,” Charania said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “They offered Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson — that was a hard ‘no.’ They continued to offer that — ‘no, no, no.’ Then they finally put Donte DiVincenzo in. That was still a no, but that at least was a window open for them, and then they put in that first-round pick on Friday, and they get this massive deal done.”
The Athletic’s Fred Katz said on his “Katz and Shoot” podcast that the Knicks’ pursuit of Towns goes back even further. Katz said the Knicks were known to frequently call the Timberwolves to express their interest in Towns, even if they didn’t make official offers.
“The impression that I always got was the Knicks would call up the Wolves … and just be like, ‘Hey, you know we’re really interested in KAT.’ And the Wolves would be like, ‘Alright, cool.'”
Katz added: “The Wolves would be like, okay make us an offer!’ And nothing concrete ever came together. And I would hear about that stuff probably a couple of times a year.”
Towns was previously represented by Leon Rose, who now runs the Knicks’ basketball operations. Several reports have said that Rose was interested in acquiring Towns because of their connection.
What also makes the pursuit interesting is that Towns and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau did not previously work well together when Thibodeau coached the Timberwolves from 2016-2019. Towns reportedly bristled at Thibodeau’s hard-nosed, intense style of coaching.
Read more: Knicks insider gives fascinating insight into how Jalen Brunson’s leadership may suit Karl-Anthony Towns
Both men have publicly said that they have settled their differences and moved on.
While Thibodeau doesn’t have a say in every Knicks move, he does have influence on the basketball decisions.
According to Charania, Thibodeau and his coaching staff were in agreement with the front office’s interest in Towns and approved of the trade.
“The Knicks wanted him. They got it done. That’s been years in the making,” Charania said.
Incomplete Karl-Anthony Towns trade had a funny impact on Knicks’ Media Day
Former NBA executive worries Knicks got worse in Karl-Anthony Towns trade
Why Knicks trading Donte DiVincenzo is a bigger gamble than it may seem
