MINNEAPOLIS — Days after trading one of the cornerstones of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise, general manager Tim Connelly officially introduced the three players, who will replace Karl Anthony Towns.
But first, he acknowledged the KAT not in the room.
"The whole idea of trading people, I think is pretty gross and weird," Connelly said, as he sat on stage next to Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diopp. "It's hard to get players of this caliber, so to do that we had to give up one of the best players to ever put on a Timberwolves jersey. As good of a player (KAT) is, he's an even better guy, so New York got a heck of a guy and an even better person."
As a reporter who has covered the Timberwolves for 20 seasons, The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski has spent years documenting KAT's impact on and off the court.
"I was here when he was drafted as a 19-year-old, I watched him kind of grow up in life and in this league," Krawczynski said.
In turn, Towns also saw Krawcynski's kids grow up.
"I would bring them to practice every once in a while, we would go to Karl's basketball camps and he would always meet and say hello and be very kind," he said. "He came here three months after Nita, my daughter, was born, my son was two at the time so they don't really know life as Timberwolves fans without Karl Anthony Towns."
When Krawczynski was breaking the story about the trade on Friday night, he reached out to KAT for comment. When he eventually heard back, he wasn't surprised to hear he was 'stunned' by the news, but Krawczynski was surprised by what he heard next.
"(KAT) asked how the kids were taking it because he knows they're big fans of his," Krawczynski said. "I was upfront with him and said Nita cried herself to sleep and that they were very sorry to see him go. That's when he responded, 'Where are you going to be tomorrow? Do they have sports or anything?"
Krawczynski says he did mention that his daughter had soccer in Blaine the next morning, and passed along directions, but he wasn't exactly expecting a visit.
"When I woke up on Saturday morning I had seen a video he had posted on Instagram of him shooting in the Timberwolves practice facility at 3 a.m.," Krawczynski said. "I didn't bother telling my kids or even my wife because I figured there was just no way that he's going to make it to an 11:00 soccer game probably 35 minutes from where he lives."
But he did show up.
Krawczynski: "I was shocked. Lo and behold, I get a message at halftime of the game that he's pulling up, and there he is. He's seven feet tall and he has a Timberwolves shirt and a Timberwolves hat. He doesn't keep a low profile at all. He walks right out onto the field and we watch the game together."
Kent Erdahl: "Just as a Dad, what was that moment like for you?"
Krawczynski: "There's nothing more than I could ever want to provide my children in a moment like that. My son has had some health issues and Karl told him that he's very proud that he's overcome those and then, for my daughter, just as sad as she was, there he was wrapping her in a hug and having some words for her. At the end of the day, you just want your kids to feel good and that's what Karl Anthony Towns did to them."
Erdahl: "You also immediately became the coolest dad on the soccer team."
Krawczynski: "Ha. It was, it was that a little bit. You know, I have to temper expectations now. I don't know how I beat this. Like, I don't think this is happening again but to see them come over and say, wow, this is really cool. Yeah, I think I'll be trying to play this card with the kids forever."
He's also pretty sure KAT won't soon forget it either.
Krawczynski: "Even though him coming to the game meant so much to my children, I think that he needed something like that as well. He got there and a bunch of other girls from other teams came over and took pictures with him and said how much they loved him and how much they're going to miss him and it allowed him a moment to say goodbye on a small scale. To a community that has raised him."