Six days after news first broke of the blockbuster trade sending Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, the newest members of the Minnesota Timberwolves were formally introduced.
Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop, joined by Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, discussed the big trade and its aftermath on Thursday morning, acknowledging the emotion of the move and also the excitement ahead.
Here are a few takeaways from their introductory press conference.
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Related: Trade finalized as Karl-Anthony Towns says farewell to Minnesota
All about flexibility
Connelly started the presser off by acknowledging KAT’s impact on the team and community, praising him as a great player but even better person and calling the idea trading people “gross and weird.” However, he acknowledged the business side and added, “It’s hard to get players of this caliber.”
Of course, the financial aspect of the deal is huge and offers flexibility for the Wolves, but so do does Randle’s contract, which has a player option for next season, like Rudy Gobert’s. That can offer multiple paths for the club to take in the coming seasons, and the draft pick is also a valuable piece for a team with few tradeable assets.