The New York Knicks made one of the biggest trades this offseason when they acquired Mikal Bridges, and they have now pulled off another one. The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski report that the Knicks have landed Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Knicks have acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via Detroit, sources tell me and Jon Krawczynski.”
Charania later added that the Charlotte Hornets are also a part of the deal, making it quite the three-team trade.
“Knicks are sending salary — including DaQuan Jeffries — and draft compensation to Charlotte in three-team Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle deal, sources tell me and Jon Krawczynski.”
As far as recent NBA trades go, this is probably one of the most unexpected ones for me. Towns had been linked to the Knicks for a couple of years, but considering the season the Timberwolves just had, you didn’t think they were going to trade him.
Towns played his part in the Timberwolves finishing with an impressive 56-26 record in the 2023-24 season, the second-best in franchise history. They were the third seed in the West and made it all the way to the Conference Finals, dispatching the defending champion Denver Nuggets along the way.
While the Dallas Mavericks soundly beat the Timberwolves in five games in the Conference Finals, you’d have thought they would run it back for at least another season. They have decided against it, though, and you’d think that luxury tax might have something to do with it
I am not sure where I’d put the Timberwolves in the West after this trade. Randle, who averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game last season, will be the one tasked with replicating Towns’ production. While the three-time All-Star should be able to put up big numbers, I think the fact that he’s not a great outside shooter like the man he’s replacing, could cause some issues.
DiVincenzo, meanwhile, averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2023-24. He gives the Timberwolves some depth and should thrive off the bench.
As for the Knicks, well, they sure are going all in, in an attempt to win a championship. Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game last season and his displays led to him being named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career.
Towns now becomes part of a Knicks core that includes Bridges, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. As for his thoughts on that, well the 28-year-old sent a cryptic message on X.
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— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 28, 2024
We’ll find out soon enough if Towns was completely blindsided by this trade. He should be happy about where he’s going, though, as the Knicks look like one of the very best teams in the NBA now. They were the second seed in the East with a 50-32 record season and I wouldn’t surprised if they ended up at the top in 2024-25. I would still have the Boston Celtics as the favorites in the East, but the Knicks aren’t all that far behind them.
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