There was always a good relationship between Towns and Edwards, even as Edwards became the organization’s top priority in recent seasons, taking a spot Towns had held since the team took him No. 1 overall in 2015. Their relationship never faltered in the face of outside chatter that might have driven other teammates apart.

There are about 220 million valid ways to dissect the shocking trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York on the eve of NBA training camp. There’s the unusual timing on both sides. For the Timberwolves,