How John Calipari helped Karl-Anthony Towns get over shock of Knicks trade

TORONTO — The morning after Karl-Anthony Towns was traded from the only NBA team he’d ever known, the center received advice from a coach who was similarly managing the emotions of a high-profile job relocation.

“First of all you’re surprised when you’re an All-Star and you’re traded. And then the second thing is, you’re going to be hurt,” John Calipari, the head coach at Arkansas, said in an interview with The Post. “Why did they do it? Why would they do it? And in the end, that’s why I told him, ‘Please, (the Knicks) are perfect for you. Don’t worry about all the other stuff. Move on.’

“It’s kind of like what I’m doing coaching here (at Arkansas). It’s the first page I’m writing in the first chapter in a new book, a new adventure. Let’s go. No looking back. You’re not bitter. You’re on to the next thing. And that’s where he is. And that’s where I am.”

Calipari had guided Towns for one season at Kentucky, nine years before the coach left the Wildcats program for this maiden campaign with the Razorbacks. They remained close enough for important conversations like after Towns was swapped by the Timberwolves for Julius Randle, coincidentally another former Calipari player.

“(Randle) was also hurt. And he was also confused,” Calipari said. “They both were like, ‘Wait a minute, what happened here?’ But it ended up being terrific for both of them.”

From Minnesota’s perspective, the deal was largely motivated by salary dumping. Ownership wanted to avoid a future in luxury tax hell. Randle is playing well, though not at his All-Star levels from New York, while the Timberwolves (12-11) are underwhelming out of the gate. Towns is thriving but the Knicks (14-9 before Monday against the Raptors) are inconsistent.