CHARLESTON, S.C. — Karl-Anthony Towns officially joined the Knicks on Wednesday afternoon, but before that, the All-NBA center missed three practices. Because it was a complex mega-deal, the details needed to be worked out for league approval.
The delay isn't fatal, but Towns' style will require adjustments for a team that hasn't had a 3-point shooting center since coach Tom Thibodeau took over.
“I think it's going to take a little bit of time,” Josh Hart said Wednesday before the trade became official. “For me, I haven’t played a lot of big-shooting players in my career so I’m looking for guys who can isolate in the post and make good decisions and put the ball in the basket. .
“Every time he runs to get a rebound, I'm going to tell him to chase it to the 3-point line, so I'm confident he'll get an open three. It's going to take time just to get comfortable. Obviously. [Jalen Brunson]Mikal [Bridges]I myself played with them for a while. O.G. [Anunoby] played with [Brunson] And I myself participated in some games. It's going to take a little bit of time, but that's the purpose of training camp and preseason, to make sure we're ready to hit the ground running on opening day.”
The Knicks open the preseason Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Thibodeau said he intends to give his young players more playing time in that contest. “Typically, you build up to the last preseason game and then you can get a better read on what the rotation is going to be.”
According to Thibodeau, the Knicks spent training camp “introducing new systems on offense and defense.”
He said Towns' absences during sessions (two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday) changed the order of operation of training camp.
Instead, they are working on a lineup other than the starting lineup.
“Yes, no [it’s a problem]. Obviously you want to get everyone here, but the reality is that's not the case and we ended up looking at different combinations a little early in camp and were planning on doing it anyway,'' the coach said. “So we'll work on those things first, so the order will be reversed a little bit. But we'll get to everything eventually. We think of training camp as basically a month.”
But Hart doesn't think Towns has been affected much.
“I think he can still put the ball in the basket, so he'll be fine,” Hart said.
As confirmed in Wednesday's announcement, the Knicks acquired Towns in a three-team deal with the Timberwolves and Hornets for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, a protected first-round pick, and two second-round picks. , several salary fillers, Keita Bates Diop, Charlie Brown Jr., Daquan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr.
“Karl Anthony brings a unique skill set to the game of basketball,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “His playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defense, combined with his size, allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league.”
Rose also expressed her gratitude to Randle, saying:[He] He played a huge role in establishing the foundation and culture of our team. ” he said of DiVincenzo.[He] Not only did we dazzle the city with one of the most iconic shots in Knicks history, but they immediately loved the culture we were building. ”
The Towns trade and its aftermath left the Knicks with a spot in training camp, and officials confirmed the Knicks responded by adding another veteran, TJ Warren, on a non-guaranteed contract.
Warren, a 31-year-old forward, played nine NBA seasons, including 11 games with the Timberwolves in 2024.
He was an up-and-coming scoring ace for the Pacers in 2019-20, when Warren averaged 19.8 points, including 20 points in the bubble playoffs, but suffered a foot injury and was unable to return to normal. It didn't happen.
To facilitate the Towns trade, the Knicks waived two other players on non-guaranteed contracts, Marcus Morris and Chuma Okeke.
Both had offers to return, but Morris declined.
Shamet, who is also in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, is also expected to be on the final roster, as the Post reported at the time of his signing on September 14th.
Including Shamet, the Knicks now have 12 roster spots. They can bring up to 15 players or a minimum of 14 players in the regular season.
