This offseason witnessed trades that sent shockwaves through the NBA community. While the moves involving Paul George and Klay Thompson could be anticipated, Karl-Anthony Towns‘ trade came out of nowhere. And the big man from Minnesota was panic-stricken at the thought of packing his bags to move to the other side of the conference.

The Sixers star made the information public on the latest episode of the Podcast P With Paul George. Giving Julius Randle and KAT a shoutout for the trade, George said, “I talked to KAT after the trade. It was crazy how it went down because, you know, my wife called me, and she found out before I found out.” Daniela got the news before her husband because the Dominican’s girlfriend Jordyn Woods discussed it with her before the news broke out. “My wife and Kat’s girl, Jordyn are very close,” George informed.

“So my wife called me like, hey, did you hear the news?” unaware of the situation George replied, “News? What? Wait, what happened?” And her response left him in disbelief. “She’s like, KAT’s going to New York,” George recalled. Without wasting a minute, PG called the 7-footer. “He’s like freaking out like, yo, bro,” George said. “Like, I don’t know if this is real. So I’m like, bro, it’s crazy.”

Then they had a deep conversation over the phone, but, the veteran confessed, “It’s hard to say in these situations. Right? Because owners can do what they want. They can trade you in a drop of a dime.” However, he acknowledged the Timberwolves President, Tim Connelly’s courage in talking to Towns about the trade. “I think it was great that he actually face to face, came to KAT and told him, I think that takes a lot of courage and balls from, owner standpoint,” George added.

When KAT revealed on the “Roommates Show” earlier this month that he got the news from Connelly, even his new teammates respected the move. George felt it was an appropriate thing to do, given the significant contribution the ex-T’Wolves made in transforming the franchise into a successful one during his tenure. Despite the emotional rollercoaster, things appear to fall into place for KAT in his new home. He has accepted his fate and set off on the new mission of winning it big with the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns had an explosive homecoming

After two games on the road, the Knicks returned to Madison Square Garden for their home opener. It was a big night for the team, especially Karl-Anthony Towns, who was excited about showing his skills on the new court in front of his family and the enthusiastic New York crowd. And he certainly lived up to expectations.

KAT scored 21 points in their 123-98 win against the Pacers, two of which were 3-pointers. He had trouble maintaining accuracy from the field but still managed to hit 5/11 on target. While he failed to help his teammates with a pass, he stuffed the stat sheet with 15 rebounds to even it out.

Woods was present on the sideline along with his family to cheer for KAT. “It’s special to be around family more often,” Towns said after the home debut. “My niece and nephew being able to be at more of my games and being able to see them grow up on my off-days. It’s really special. Definitely special to be back home.” KAT has seemingly found his rhythm in the new city and the initial shock from the trade is no longer a hangover for him. The Knicks can only hope that their big KAT can help them get to the finish line ending the ever-lasting wait for a championship.