Knicks dance around not-yet-official Karl-Anthony Towns trade - ESPN

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Minutes after star big man Karl-Anthony Towns was photographed Monday stepping out of a sport utility vehicle and into the Knicks' training facility — while wearing a Knicks fitted cap, no less — his soon-to-be teammates played coy about his pending trade to the club.

«Who's Karl? I have no idea who that is,» guard Jalen Brunson said as he spoke with reporters during the team's annual media day.

Knicks wing Josh Hart followed suit a few minutes later, asking, «We got KAT? Wow,» after a reporter asked for his take on the reported trade, which is expected to be finalized early this week, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

The trade isn't official yet, so it wasn't surprising that members of the team would initially punt on commenting about the pending blockbuster with the Timberwolves — one that's set to make the four-time All-Star a Knick, while two-time All-NBA forward Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are on the move to Minnesota.

But the ordeal made for some humorous moments.

Writers, eager to elicit thoughts from Brunson, sought to find creative ways to get him to speak candidly on what the move for Towns might mean for the Knicks. One asked Brunson to describe what it was like for him in Dallas when he shared the court with Kristaps Porzingis, a floor-spacing, pick-and-pop big man like Towns.

«Uh, it's obviously a different dynamic. It gives us a different weapon,» Brunson said with a smile. «The [point guard's] reads are definitely different. You still have to see how the defense is reacting to different situations. But yes: There's a difference. And we'll cross that bridge when we get there.»

The pending deal is a rare one in several ways. It's uncommon to see a pair of All-Stars in their