Karl-Anthony Towns Sent Simple Tweet Moments Before Trade to Knicks

With training camp around the corner and the start of the regular season on the horizon, the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves authored a stunning, late-night blockbuster trade on Friday night.

The Knicks agreed to a deal to acquire center Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves in exchange for forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round draft pick via the Detroit Pistons. The Athletic’s Shams Charania, who was first to report the deal, added that a third team, the Charlotte Hornets, received guard/forward DaQuan Jeffries, draft compensation and salary from the Knicks in the Towns deal.

Moments before Charania reported the deal, Towns, the big fish in the trade, took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted a simple tweet.

Clearly, Towns was tipped off by his agent, or a member of either the Knicks or Timberwolves organizations, about the deal. Or he wasn’t—and was just as surprised as the rest of us.

Could it be shock that the only franchise he’s ever known, which, by the way, signed him to a four-year super max contract extension worth $224 million just two years ago, suddenly jettisoned him on the heels of the club’s run to the Western Conference finals this past May?

Uneasiness about playing in the dog-eat-dog New York media environment? Relief that he was dealt to a team like the Knicks that has a chance to contend for a title?

Any and all—or none—of these reactions are possible. It’s impossible to know what he’s actually thinking here.

What’s perhaps most interesting is the fact that Towns felt whatever emotions he was feeling strongly enough to post a tweet even before the trade was reported.

In nine NBA seasons, Towns has averaged 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.