NBA
Anthony Edwards Would ‘Love’ Reunion With Knicks Star
Sunday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Timberwolves may not have been just a glimpse of the New York Knicks’ past but perhaps the team’s future as well.
The weekend-closing exhibition between New York and Minnesota was a landmark considering that it was the first time the two teams had met since a blockbuster deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to Manhattan and a package headlined by Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to Minneapolis. Towns showed exactly why the Knicks traded for his services, as he earned 16 points and rebounds each in a 115-110 victory.
Following the game, the Timberwolves’ social media channels caught Towns and Minnesota franchise face Anthony Edwards exchanging jerseys and sneakers. The audio caught an observing fan calling for Edwards to consider “New York, New York” once his current contract is up and Edwards offered an intriguing response.
“I would love to be reunited,” Edwards says as shares a farewell hug with Towns.
As it stands, Towns is set to stay in New York through at least 2027, when a $61 million player option kicks in. Even so, fans might have to be patitent if Towns and Edwards get the band back together, barring an unlikely trade: Edwards is signed through 2029 thanks to a five-year, $244 million rookie contract extension signed in 2023, and the Knicks mostly exhausted their well-stockpiled assets by acquiring Towns and Mikal Bridges.
If Sunday is any indication, however, both sides will wind up content with the deal they made: to combat Towns’ serendipitous double-double, Edwards led all Sunday scorers with 31 points. Though Randle did not play due to the final stages of rehab for a shoulder injury sustained in January, DiVincenzo scored 15 and dished out seven assists.
Both teams have high aspirations after successful campaigns: the Knicks won 50 games and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket while Minnesota returned to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in two decades.
The Knicks and Timberwolves are set to square off at Target Center in December. In the meantime, New York (3-0) continues its preseason activities on Tuesday at home against the Charlotte Hornets (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).