This Week in 🏀 can only marvel at the level of blockbuster that the Knicks and Timberwolves uncorked without warning late Friday night

And we break down the deal in depth here to tip off Media Day leaguewide

September 2024 is not to be confused with September 2023.

Karl-Anthony Towns, unlike James Harden and Damian Lillard, did not have an active trade demand on the table as Harden and Lillard did a year ago. Ditto for Julius Randle.

Neither All-Star, when they woke up Friday morning, had any desire to be dealt away from the teams with whom they were so entrenched.

The big offseason business — big and small really — had seemingly all been done by Friday morning ... apart from the thunderbolts that have shaken the NBA media industry in recent days. That's a big reason why I felt safe traveling abroad with my oldest son for the final two weeks of September.

What could happen?

The NBA's infinite capacity for hot-stove chaos … that's what. No major sports league in the world keeps its Transaction Game churning like the National Basketball Association and we just got fresh evidence of the NBA's unique environment that sometimes prompts even successful contenders with ample motivation to just run it back and/or enjoy the natural benefits of experience/continuity/progress to opt for drastic change when there was little hint of a looming whopper. 

So ...

On this first Monday morning of the new season, with the Knicks and Timberwolves among the 28 franchises holding Media Day festivities later today, let's zoom through some Monday Musings about the deal ... including a few pertinent details you presumably haven't heard yet: