The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves performed a blockbuster trade right before the start of the 2024-25 season, sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. With both teams looking to upgrade, it's hard to say it hasn't been a win-win so far, especially with both teams making the Conference Finals in the 2025 playoffs.

Towns quickly established himself as one of the best players in the Eastern Conference and will likely earn a second-straight All-Star selection this season. However, a piece of him still remains in Minnesota, and he was able to play there this past week as he put up 40 points and 13 rebounds in a Knicks loss.

Towns spent nine years in Minnesota, bringing the team to a Western Conference Finals appearance and eventually handing the keys to Anthony Edwards as the franchise's lead star.

"It's always good to be appreciated, you know? It's nothing more valuable in this league, in this job, than to be respected," Towns said. "I left my heart & soul here in Minnesota. For the fans–even after 2 seasons away–to respect me the way they do, think of me highly, appreciate what I left on the court, means a lot. It really means a lot."

Towns was selected 1st overall in the 2015 NBA Draft after one season with the Kentucky Wildcats, leading them on a historic run that was halted in the Final Four by Wisconsin. Playing alongside fellow NBA star Devin Booker and other NBA draftees, Towns became the team's first-ever number one pick.

He'd join Andrew Wiggins on a young Timberwolves team, as he wouldn't make the playoffs till the 2017-18 season when Jimmy Butler was brought in to the core. They'd then go on another playoff drought until Edwards joined the team, as they've made the postseason every year since 2022.

Towns won't go down as the greatest Timberwolves player of all time, but he has a case for the third best, behind Kevin Garnett and eventually Edwards if he hangs around. However, he's now in New York and could be a key piece in leading them to a potential NBA Finals berth in 2026.

Towns is currently under contract through the 2026-27 season, with an option to extend one more season through the 2027-28 season for $61.1 million. A return to Minnesota doesn't make sense in the immediate future, but he could very well decide to play his last year or years on the team he blossomed into a star with.