Leon Rose welcomes Karl-Anthony Towns to Knicks, expresses gratitude towards Julius Randle

The Knicks made things official on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns in a three-team trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Charlotte Hornets.

New York acquired Towns from Minnesota and the draft rights to James Nnaji from the Hornets, while Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a future first-round pick went to the Timberwolves. Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., and two future second-round picks were sent to the Hornets.

“We are beyond excited to welcome Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks family,” said team president Leon Rose. “Karl-Anthony brings a skillset that is unique to the game of basketball. He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league. Karl-Anthony has demonstrated throughout his career to be a high caliber player and person on and off the court who will complement the type of team and culture we continue to build in New York.”

Towns, who grew up in Piscataway, NJ, was selected by Minnesota with the  first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Over his nine pro seasons, Towns has averaged 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range.

In bringing in Towns, the Knicks had to part ways with Randle, who blossomed into an All-Star with the Knicks, winning Most Improved Player in 2020-21. In five seasons with New York, Randle was an All-Star three times, averaging 22.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.

“I want to sincerely thank Julius for his contributions to both the Knicks organization and our community,” said Rose. “An All-Star and All-NBA player, Julius worked tirelessly day in and day out to represent the Knicks organization with grit, grace and tremendous skill. Julius played a major role in establishing the foundation and culture of our team and we cannot thank Julius enough for what he did for this city and organization both on and off the court.”

Rose also thanked DiVincenzo and the other former Knicks involved in the trade for everything that they brought to the team.

“Over the last year, Donte not only captivated the city with one of the most iconic shots in Knicks history, but also immediately bought into the culture we were building here and was an example on and off the court from the moment he arrived as a Knick. We wish Julius, Donte, Charlie, DaQuan, Duane and Keita all the best moving forward and thank them for all their contributions to our team.”