The Knicks traded their most popular player, Latrell Sprewell, to the Minnesota Timberwolves last night and obtained the often-maligned forward Keith Van Horn from the Philadelphia 76ers in a four-team, six-player deal.

The Sixers obtained an All-Star scorer, Glenn Robinson, from Atlanta, to complement guard Allen Iverson, something that Van Horn was not able to do at the end of last season.

The Timberwolves traded center Marc Jackson to the Sixers and unloaded guard Terrell Brandon, who will soon retire, on the Atlanta Hawks, who expect to receive salary-cap relief next season because Brandon most likely has a career-ending knee injury.

Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves' general manager, spoke to reporters in Minnesota about surrounding his team's best player, Kevin Garnett, with dynamic talent, but Scott Layden, the Knicks' general manager, spent a conference call defending his first trade since draft night in 2002.

As quickly as Layden welcomed Van Horn for his size and versatility, he dismissed Sprewell, the shooting guard who had played out of position at small forward and had led the Knicks to their surprising run to the N.B.A. finals in 1999.

Layden tried to trade Sprewell for two seasons after he clashed with management over tardiness and what team officials considered irresponsible behavior. Last season Sprewell's statistics declined.

Layden did not say Sprewell's off-court behavior prompted the trade, but Coach Don Chaney said it was a "business decision" to improve the team. "We don't rehash things; we deal with different subjects and we move on," Layden said. "We genuinely thank Latrell for his contributions and we wish him well."