Timberwolves react to Karl-Anthony Towns trade at media day

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Timberwolves held their media day Monday at Target Center, with one of the best players in franchise history nowhere to be seen.

Karl-Anthony Towns was not in Minneapolis. In fact, he was at his new home, the New York Knicks practice facility. Late Friday night, news broke that Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves had traded Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round draft pick. The deal is not final or official, and neither Connelly nor Chris Finch would specifically address the move.

“I can’t comment on what remains to be done. So no,” Connelly said.

“No, I’m not allowed to say anything, you know that,” Finch said.

What the players are saying

Towns was the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, but the Timberwolves knew it would be unlikely that he, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert would all be on max contracts. Edwards, Gobert and Mike Conley Jr. were all upfront and honest when talking about the elephant in the room on Monday.

Edwards had been his teammate as he became the best player and face of the franchise. He said Monday that it was a shared task with Towns. Edwards was on a plane heading to town for training camp when he heard the news.

“I think everyone knows KAT is my brother, so it really hurts. It’s a business, so I just have to get on with it,” Edwards said. “He’s my buddy. It wasn’t a one or two situation, we were both one, we were just playing against each other. We were just together, it’s hard to take talk.”

Gobert came to the Timberwolves two years ago in his own blockbuster trade. The two formed a bond and the duo of big men helped lead the team to its first Western Conference final in 20 years. He was shocked to learn of the exchange Friday night.

“It’s not something we expected a few days before training camp, so I’m still processing it. KAT is someone I have a lot of love and respect for .It’s part of the business, it’s never easy,” Gobert said.

Conley is a veteran and understands the business side.

“We have all the confidence in the world in Tim and what he’s been able to do for this team in a short amount of time,” Conley said. “From what I understand, they probably handled the situation better than any organization that has ever handled business transactions. They are super professional in the way they handle their business.”

Can Edwards become the greatest of all time?

With Towns out of the picture, the Timberwolves are Edwards’ team, whether they say it publicly or not. He is the franchise player and one of the faces of the NBA.

“We continue to challenge Anthony because we believe he can be one of the best players of all time. We don’t say that lightly,” Connelly said.

Edwards will not shy away from this challenge. After leading the Timberwolves to one of their best seasons ever and an Olympic gold medal in France, he embraces every challenge.

“You know what I think, right? I think he’s right,” Edwards said.

“Our gym believes we can win a championship”

The Wolves won 50 regular season games for the second time in franchise history last season. They made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in two decades. Connelly says the goal is to win a trophy, but the season is not lost if they don’t.

“Our team believes we can win a championship, but it’s not a zero-sum season if we don’t win a championship, it won’t be a failed season. We have to believe in it to make it happen,” he said. Connelly said.

What’s next

The Timberwolves open training camp Tuesday. Their first preseason game will take place on Friday. They open the regular season on Tuesday, October 22 at the LA Lakers.