Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns gets ‘warm feeling’ in return to Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS — Karl-Anthony Towns said he got a “warm feeling” reentering the Target Center Thursday morning, but it still didn’t mask how strange it was for him to enter the arena he calls home nine seasons as a visitor. playing for the first time.

Towns will play his first game in Minnesota as a member of the New York Knicks on Thursday night, his first game against the Timberwolves since being traded days before the start of training camp in September.

“I know it’s going to be a lot,” Towns said with a laugh as he reflected on the emotions of the game later that night. “But just appreciate every second, every moment and appreciate being back here.”

Towns, who was selected as the no. 1 overall pick by the Wolves in the 2015 NBA draft, said he still feels a strong connection to Minnesota, which includes keeping track of his former teammates from a distance.

“I’m an avid Timberwolves fan, so I watch a lot of the games when I get a chance,” Towns said. “They’re still my brothers. They’re still my guys. Just because a trade happened doesn’t mean I lost love for them. The brotherhood will always be there.”

The Wolves and Knicks pulled off a big deal the weekend before the start of training camp, sending Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The trade was a shock to Towns, who had spent his entire career in Minnesota, and especially with the Wolves fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference finals.

“I’m not used to landing and going to a hotel in Minnesota,” Towns said. “I don’t know, it’s never happened since the day I was drafted.”

Towns said he ended up spending the night at his home in Minnesota before the game, thinking several times how strange it would be to come through the visitors’ tunnel before the game.

Towns rattled off some of his most impactful memories in a Wolves jersey, getting to play with Kevin Garnett during his rookie season, watching Derrick Rose drop 50 points in 2018 and Minnesota’s Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 playoffs , sending the Wolves to the conference finals for only the second time in franchise history.

And when Towns was asked if he missed Minnesota, he didn’t skip a beat.

“Of course,” he said emphatically. “I was here nine years. It’s been a long time since I called this place home.”

On the court, Towns has settled in with his new team, averaging 24.8 points and a league-leading 13.9 rebounds on 53% shooting, matching a career high, while shooting 44% from 3, which would set a new career highlight. shooting from the deep.

The Knicks enter Thursday with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference, and the Wolves have found a groove after a slow start, winning six of their last seven games.

The two teams played a preseason game in New York against each other a few weeks after the trade, but Towns said that won’t make Thursday’s game any easier emotionally. He reiterated that he wanted to enjoy the moment Thursday and cherish the memories he built in Minnesota.

“I’ve been through a lot, especially in a T-Wolves jersey,” Towns said. “I try to appreciate these moments that never or often occur. So I just want to be in the place of life, where I look at things from a half glass. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to be home again and have so many good memories and being able to play here against guys I’ve played with.”