Fresh off their trade for OG Anunoby, the New York Knicks are reportedly not done looking for upgraded veteran talent. For now, it remains to be seen what kind of moves they will make, but it’s hard not to look back and notice some missed opportunities for the Knicks. Last summer, for example, they could have landed Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade from Minnesota had they just been willing to pay the price.
“I believe the Knicks could have traded for Towns in the 2023 offseason… [Leon] Rose is Towns’ former agent. He and Knicks executive vice president William Wesley are close with Towns and his family,” wrote Knicks insider Ian Begley. “Knicks senior vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas ran the Timberwolves during Towns’ tenure. But the Timberwolves won’t be trading Towns this season; entering play Tuesday, they had the NBA’s second-best record. Towns’ play (21 points, shooting 40 percent from three, nine rebounds and three assists per game) has been a major factor.”
Towns may not be a top 10 player in the game, but his size and shooting are a major advantage in today’s NBA, and he’s a massive upgrade over Mitchell Robinson, who has been average at best during his time in New York.
Knicks Are One Piece Away
With Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett, the Knicks had a solid core to build around. Now, in the aftermath of the latest trade, the new “big three’ are Randle, Brunson, and two-way wing OG Anunoby. Based on those three alone, the Knicks are a tough out against any opponent and should have no problem returning to the postseason.
The real urgency in New York revolves around the spring. After beating the Cavaliers in the first round, the Knicks lost to a Heat team very similar to their own, led by Jimmy Butler and a hard-nosed group of competitors. In that series, it was clear that the Knicks don’t have enough to win as presently constructed… but could Towns pull them over the top? Flawed as he is, Towns’ shooting and ball-handling as a big man would provide a major boost to the Knicks and might be the final piece they need to go on a serious run.
A Bouncebck Year In Minnesota
Of course, nobody is happier that the Knbiks didn’t trade for Towns than the Timberwolves. After initially coming to regret the Rudy Gobert trade, the Wolves have proven everyone wrong by securing the top seed in the West this season and Towns has been a huge reason why. Through 31 games this season, he’s averaging 21.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game on 50% shooting and 41% from deep.
He’s been the second-best offensive player on a Timberwolves team that has been consistently great all season. Now, Towns is practically untouchable in Minnesota and the Timberwolves finally look like they’re trading in the right direction. Sadly for the Knicks, it doesn’t bode well for their chances of securing Karl-Antony Towns but they might be better off waiting anyway until the next big-name star becomes available on the market.
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