“I’m coming home, tell the world I’m coming home” by Skylar Grey might be the song on repeat on Karl-Anthony Towns‘ playlist currently. That’s how the mood is around Minnesota despite the -5°C temperature. Since his shock trade to New York, this will be KAT’s first homecoming and the anticipation is already providing the much-needed warmth. Even his girlfriend, Jordyn Woods, feels fuzzy after returning to their old stomping ground. And the signs are, that the match should be all love, expected in a storied reunion, despite some hint of ill feelings.

Jordyn sent out a series of pictures on her IG story, letting the fans know of their return ahead of the game at the Target Center. One of them had the scenic snowy views from their old Minnesota house’s balcony. One other picture had KAT and his former running mate, Anthony Edwards in it, who’d be more than eager to give the Knicks star a warm welcome, literally. The game on Thursday night has all the ingredients to turn out to be a spectacle and some former NBA stars believe this will be the perfect opportunity for KAT to let his emotions out after the Timberwolves’ harsh treatment. “I also think he has a big night. He’s gonna be emotional about it,” Lou Williams said on the latest episode of Fanduel TV’s Run It Back show. “He’s gonna try to kick their a**, put as many points on the board as he can, and I think he does it.”

His co-host Chandler Parsons also resonated with the thought. “From my memory, I don’t remember KAT asking out. It’s not like he was an a**hole towards the end. So, yeah, this should be all love,” Parsons said. He further added how Towns helped put the franchise back on the map during his 9-year tenure. So, after getting traded unceremoniously as he was, there might be a harsh reality the franchise have to face courtesy of KAT. “I bet there’s still a little salty because I do think that they feel like they lost the trade, and they lost their best player that they’ve had in years to come. But, yeah, there’ll be a couple of boo birds, but this should be all love.”

Now this was just an outside perspective on the matter. How is Towns himself feeling about the return to face his former colleagues? He has already posted a touching video on social media compiling his bonding moments with the Minnesota community. He also shared his feelings ahead of the game, confident of the legacy he left behind.

Karl-Anthony Towns looking forward to his highly-anticipated return

The sudden trade of Karl-Anthony Towns certainly caught him off guard. Not only him, but the whole of Minnesota was scratching its head after the massive announcement. What was the point of letting go of one of your best pieces after a deep playoff run? The franchise’s financial issues had the front office thinking and acquiring Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo made sense of the Collective Bargaining Agreement front.

Despite that, the franchise’s GM, Tim Connelly, was man enough to deliver the news to Towns himself rather than a phone call. That meant a lot to the Dominican, as he revealed during a recent episode of the Roommates podcast with his Knicks buddies. So it was understandable that no foul words were thrown ahead of the emotionally charged game.

“Every game is important,” said Towns on the eve of the Timberwolves vs the Knicks. “It will be cool to be in the house… You never know how the fans will respond. For me, my household, I know what I gave that organization. And I am happy and proud for what I was able to do.” Not only him but his former teammate, Naz Reid, is also emotional about the return.

“(It will) Probably be very emotional. He’s been here for nine years, this is the first time he’s been on the other side so I’m sure it will be,” Naz said after the Timberwolves practice. Karl-Anthony Towns has been in All-Star form this season, averaging 24.8 points per game from 52.6% shooting. Will he be able to dish out the pain on his former employers? Just a few more hours before we find out.