LOOK: Karl-Anthony Towns Arrives at Knicks Facility

That’s one small step for KAT, one giant leap for the New York Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns took his first steps on metropolitan turf as an apparent member of the New York Knicks: basketball and hockey reporters alike caught glimpses of Towns arriving at the Knicks and New York Rangers shared practice facility in Tarrytown (h/t Peter Baugh of The Athletic). The Knicks are hosting their annual media day activities while the Rangers are engaged in training camp for the 2024-25 season.

It figures to be the latest confirmation of the trade between the Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves first reported by Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic on Friday night, one that’s set to send Towns to Manhattan in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The deal is not yet official as both sides seek to add a third team in the name of salary balancing.

Since the trade is not yet official, Towns likely won’t speak on Monday but he did adorn a Knicks cap upon his arrival to Tarrytown. Towns comes to New York after an emphatic return from an injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign, averaging 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds while guiding the Timberwolves to their first conference final appearance in two decades. The deal reunites Towns with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who oversaw some of his earlier playing days at the Minnesota helm.

While his services come at a lofty price, Towns is also set to stabilize the Knicks’ wary interior situation, one that is said to be missing incumbent starting center Mitchell Robinson until December or January. New York struggled to find a name to replace the departed Isaiah Hartenstein … but it’s safe to say that the four-time All-Star Towns at the very least begins to fill that void.

New York’s preseason slate is set to get underway on Sunday night in Charlotte (5 p.m. ET, MSG) while the Timberwolves, ironically enough, are set to visit Madison Square Garden one week later.

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