Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in blockbuster on eve of NBA season
With just under a month until open night, the NBA world was rocked by an All-Star trade from two of the league’s top 10 teams as the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks agreed on a deal centered on Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo,
The Knicks were reportedly in the market for a center following the reveal of a prolonged absence from Mitchell Robinson, and they got one in Towns, one of the most offensively gifted big men in the NBA.
For the Timberwolves, dealing away Towns relieves them of a long-term financial obligation while still taking back talent in Randle and DiVincenzo that should help them remain as one of the West’s elite teams.
The deal also reportedly involves the Knicks sending Minnesota Detroit’s first-round pick, which has traded hands a number of times and traces back to the draft day trade of Christian Wood to Houston for the pick that became Isaiah Stewart.
The deal will also reportedly involve Charlotte as a third team to take on salary and minor players in exchange for draft compensation, The Athletic reports.
New York sports reporter Ian Begley reports the Pistons, the Hawks, and the Heat were among the teams in talks with the Knicks on a deal centered on Julius Randle. Randle’s entering the final year of his deal and the Knicks were in the market for a center. Perhaps Detroit was entertaining sending out Isaiah Stewart in a deal that would have netted them Randle and their own first-round pick back. At this point, we’ll never know.
The move shakes up the NBA landscape and further solidifies the Knicks as a true threat to the defending champion Boston Celtics in the East. Eearlier in the offseason, the Knicks added Mikal Bridges to a team that was coming off a 50-win season. That team did lose Isaiah Hartenstein and was facing extended time without Mitchell so center was certainly the team’s weakest position. Town is a poor defender, but he solifides that spot in the lineup and will be surrounded by enough defensive talent to cover for his shortcomings on that end.
The Wolves, meanwhile, seem to view themselves as a team not in need of a $50 million big man who can really only play one side of the floor reliably. There have also been talks about recommitting to defensive anchor Rudy Gobert, and the team’s offense is solidly in the hands of Anthony Edwards.
Randle is a big downgrade for the Wolves, but DiVincenzo is a sneaky addition on the wing as a reliable 40% shooter from deep who can also defend.