Captured locker room footage shows Timberwolves might regret hasty trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves knew the risky nature of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade before they agreed to do it. The front office, coaching staff and everyone involved with making the decision understood the ramifications of moving off a player that had defined the franchise for nearly a decade.

But they all also knew they needed to do what was best for the team and its goal of winning a championship, regardless of what the fanbase or any outsiders might think. It is important to remember that Minnesota stood firm the first several times that New York tried to get the deal done, only budging once Donte DiVincenzo and the first-round pick were finally included as well.

It will likely take months before we can truly call this trade a success or a failure. But in the meantime, there are clues we can look to in order to gain an idea of how this whole thing may play out. One such clue came from the recent documentary featuring Anthony Edwards, Starting 5.

In the ninth episode of the ten-part series, a clip from the Wolves' now-iconic Game 6 win over the Denver Nuggets from the 2024 playoffs was shown. After Minnesota blew out Denver, the team was meeting in the locker room and deciding on when they would travel to the Mile High City for Game 7.

Ant gave high praise to KAT during 2024 playoffs

After they decided on flying out the next day, Ant had some big-time praise for Karl-Anthony Towns. "This morning we said, 'KAT, make the right play, trust everybody, make the right play.' And I want to tell you, tonight, you made the right play every f------ time," he said.

These were big words of respect and motivation that showed a lot of meaningful chemistry between Edwards and Towns. It is a clip that makes the departure of KAT seem that much more disappointing, knowing what kind of chemistry he had with his teammates during the most crucial stretch of the Timberwolves' epic playoff run.

Of course, this moment alone is not evidence that Julius Randle will not work out just as well in Minnesota. But losing the hard-earned chemistry that Towns had with Ant and many others on the roster is accentuated by this moment. It still makes sense why the Timberwolves ultimately did their blockbuster trade, but a meaningful interaction like this one will likely tear at the hearts of the fanbase.

Watch Starting 5 only on Netflix.