MINNEAPOLIS — Just a few days before they open training camp on Tuesday, the Timberwolves made a stunning, franchise-altering move.

The Wolves traded mainstay center Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for All-Star Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick from Detroit.

An NBA source confirmed the trade.

The move is a dynamic-changing deal just before the Wolves begin a season in which they are looking to build off the success of their first Western Conference finals appearance since 2004.

Just this week, Towns returned to Minnesota in preparation of his 10th season after the team picked him No. 1 overall in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky. Through years of struggling, Towns remained loyal to the franchise, always pledging to build a winning team with Minnesota despite semi-regular rumors that he might force his way to another team.

Now that success is here, Towns is gone after helping see it come to life. While he has been inconsistent in the postseason, he posted the message “…” on X, formerly known as Twitter, just before the news broke, with the Athletic first reporting it.

For a long time, the Knicks have been a reported suitor of Towns, with his former coach Tom Thibodeau and President Gersson Rosas both working for the franchise. The Knicks never relented and were more aggressive in their pursuit of Towns in the last days and weeks.

The Wolves had their eye on DiVincenzo in free agency last offseason when he signed with the Knicks, while Randle previously played for coach Chris Finch when he was an assistant in New Orleans.

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