Cautious of Shaq and Barkley, Karl-Anthony Towns Opts for Silence Over Heartbreaking Timberwolves Trade

“KAT did not request this trade. He never has requested a move in 9 years here.” NBA reporter Jon Krawczynski was one of the first people to react when Karl-Anthony Towns was traded to the New York Knicks in late September. Meanwhile, all that the player did in that bombshell instance was post an ellipsis on X (“…”) as his reaction.

The Timberwolves was a franchise to whom Towns had devoted the entirety of his 9-year career, till that point. Therefore, at a time when he was set to possibly form a championship-contending team with Anthony Edwards, the trade changed everything. Therefore, even today, as he excels with the New York Knicks, the center/power forward is not being too explicit about his honest reaction.

The recently held Knicks-Timberwolves game marked the first time that Karl-Anthony Towns faced his former team in the regular season.

He made the best use of the opportunity by coming out on top during the matchup. His contribution also helped the Knicks win by a 26-point margin! In the aftermath of the game, a TNT Sports journalist questioned the player on whether it was ‘sweet’ for him to perform so well against the team that traded him. Towns was silent for a bit.

Then, he replied, “I’m just happy that I was able to have the game that I had today. I’ve suffered (in) my mind, I won’t say.” The journalist attempted to have Towns add on to his remarks and even stated, “TNT is the perfect spot to say it.” However, Towns hilariously contradicted that belief by adding “Nah Nah, Shaq and Charles, they’ll talk about it”.

The battle for TNT in retaining its NBA media rights was heavily covered during the ongoing year. After all, the league had signed 11-year media deals with ESPN/ABC, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. This placed the future of the iconic ‘NBA on TNT’ crew under a cloud of doubt. The coverage of the 2024–25 season may be the last that Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr. do together. Therefore, the crew may want to make the best use of their limited time. And what better way to do so than to dive into the most interesting trades of the recent offseason?

If Karl-Anthony Towns’ recent performance proved anything, it was that the Timberwolves may have been mistaken in trading him. After all, the 29-year-old delivered an impressive double-double by scoring 32 points and 20 rebounds! He went 10-12 (83.3%) with his field goals, 5-5 (100%) with his three-pointers, and 7-9 (77.8%) with his free throws. Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle leading the scoring effort with their 17 and 24 points could not be enough. As a result, knowing the trade reaction, especially in the aftermath of such a game, would be sought by everyone.

Karl-Anthony Towns may be right in not sharing too many details with Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. After all, if history provides any lesson, it is that the former Lakers star can be quite critical towards him.

Has Shaquille O’Neal ever criticized Karl-Anthony Towns on National TV?

After 25 games, Karl-Anthony Towns may have finally found his rhythm with the New York Knicks. However, during the early part of the ongoing season, the player was struggling. In fact, during his debut game with the Knicks, the Center/Power Forward only made 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists against the Boston Celtics.

This performance was something that the ‘NBA on TNT’ crew spend some time in addressing. The hosts especially called for emphasis on the 7-foot Towns. After all, he chose to take fadeaway shots despite Jrue Holiday, who is 6-foot-4, guarding him. Though Towns was able to make those shots, Shaq still said “Even though he made the shot, I don’t like it.” Yikes!

Back in May, it was made clear that the duo of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns cannot afford lapses. After all, the Timberwolves had reached the Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. Only the Dallas Mavericks stood between their chance to playing in the NBA Finals for the first time ever! Therefore, after the Timberwolves lost Game 3 by a 116-107 score, Shaquille O’Neal was quick in giving out his critique.

He outright stated “KAT has not played well. He’s not stepped up and helped Ant Edwards out. I’ve played with guys that dominated the ball, and you just adjust to their decision-making cuz you know what they’re trying to do, and you know they’re trying to help me get to the next level. But as the other part of the superstar tandem, you have to do your job, and Karl Anthony-Towns has not stepped up”. Towns had certainly performed poorly on the shooting front. After all, he made only 5-18 (27.8%) field goals, 0-8 (0%) three-pointers, and 4-5 (80%) free throws. While he did make 11 rebounds to cover for his lapse, Shaq still did not choose to show him mercy.

All of this criticism may have certainly occupied the space in Karl-Anthony Towns’ mind at some point. Therefore, if there is anyone to whom he needs to reveal his ‘heartbreak’, it isn’t the ‘NBA on TNT’ host.