Karl-Anthony Towns may no longer be part of the Minnesota Timberwolves but the desire for them to succeed remains stronger than ever. In a recent appearance on the ‘Club Shay Shay’ podcast, the star big man stated his love for the franchise and revealed his old dreams of one day winning a title there.
“[The Timberwolves] deserves a championship,” said Towns. “They’ve been asking for a championship since its inception as a team. So, I’ve always said I wanted to bring them a championship. I wanted to be part of the championship team that finally brings that ring and that parade down to First Ave.”
To date, the Timberwolves are one of the 10 NBA teams who have never won a title. In fact, since the Timberwolves were founded in 1989 as an expansion team, they’ve yet to reach the NBA Finals.
Kevin Garnett tried and failed to bring glory to the city, and Kevin Love had to leave town before he began winning titles. It wasn’t until Karl-Anthony Towns arrived that things started to shift for the Timberwolves.
As one of the lowest-market cities in the league, it’s rare for stars to want to stay in Minnesota but Towns embraced the city, the team, and their culture like nobody else before. In 9 years with the Wolves, he averaged 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game on 52.4% shooting. He had deep connections to the team personnel and was committed to bringing the franchise their first championship. Last season, after reaching the Conference Finals, he nearly pulled it off.
Sadly, with a series loss to the Mavericks, the Wolves were sent home yet again and their response was to mix things up with another trade. This time, Towns was the one who said goodbye as the Wolves swapped him for a package including Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a future first-round pick.
Now, Randle will have to shift his goals to bring the Knicks their first championship since 1973. While New York is vastly different from Minnesota, the millions of die-hard fans there are even more eager for a championship than anywhere else.
As a fresh new arrival, Towns will have some time to adjust to his surroundings but expectations will be high right away for a team that finished second in the East last season. The hope is that with Towns, Brunson, and Mikal Bridges, the Knicks will have no problems rising to the occasion but it will be far from easy.
Meanwhile, for the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards is the star they are rallying around. At just 23 years old, Edwards is due to take another leap this season and it could be enough for the Timberwolves to reach another level of dominance in the West.
With Towns out and replaced with several NBA veterans, the Timberwolves believe that their newfound depth will give them an added edge against the NBA elites. Only time will how they fare against the competition but the fans have been waiting years for a title and they’ve never been closer.