In the aftermath of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ conference finals whipping at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, the spotlight settled squarely on Karl-Anthony Towns. The good vibes from a terrific conference semifinals performance against the Denver Nuggets—18.6 points per game and some solid defense on Nikola Jokic—were washed away by a dreadful five games against the Mavs, in which Towns connected on just 37.9% of his shots—and 24.2% of his threes. “It’s going to be good for us to take this experience … to understand the discipline we’re going to need to make a deep run,” Towns said after the T-Wolves were eliminated, adding, “the plan is to be here [next season].”
So much for plans. Towns’s ninth season in Minnesota was his last, with the Timberwolves on Friday agreeing to the framework of a deal that will send Towns, a four-time All-Star, to the New York Knicks in exchange for a package that includes Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round pick.
