A silent and non-eventful weekend in the NBA was just rocked with the news that four-time All-Star and 2015 first overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns has just been traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for three-time All-Star Julius Randle in a three-team trade.
Shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo was also included in the trade, along with a protected first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.
The trade showed New York and Minnesota’s desire of reaching the finals, with both squads falling short of their ultimate goal last season—the Knicks were hampered by injuries and bowed out in the second round, whilst the Minnesota Timberwolves struggled in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
Who won the trade?
It’s too early to judge this trade, and it’d be wise to let the season pan out first before we see to the fullest extent which team benefitted the most.
All we have are hypotheticals, and on paper, the Knicks seemed the likely winners of this deal.
Let’s face it, as much fun as it looked when New York had the ‘Nova Knicks’ assembled, it was going to be extremely difficult to win games with such a lineup.
For starters, they’re clogged on the wings, and with no real centre on the main guys (Mitchell Robinson won’t be back until January and Isaiah Hartenstein is now with Oklahoma City), they will get dominated inside the paint.
Randle’s play style will also clash with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, clogging the lane instead of having ample spacing.
With Towns as a replacement for Randle, not only did the Knicks acquire a much improved perimeter shooter, but also a bigger and better rebounder/defender that would be able to space the floor better.
Sure, losing DiVincenzo was a stinger.
Lest we forget, he played a pivotal role in the Knicks’ playoff run last season, shouldering some of the scoring load off of Brunson. Aside from his scoring capabilities, DiVincenzo is also an adept defender and a willing rebounder, so the Knicks will surely miss his presence.
But with Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby around, there’s only so many wing players playing the same role you can have.
Long story short, the Knicks needed a big like Towns than they do with a player like DiVincenzo.
For the Wolves, it is highly understandable why some of their fans expressed negative sentiments regarding the trade.
Towns stayed with the Wolves through thick and thin, being the team’s anchor in tough times, and now that they have finally achieved some semblance of a playoff success, you boot the team’s heart and soul just like that?
There were also concerns about Randle’s fit, with the likes of Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert being in the same starting lineup. There’s no real floor spacer in the group, unless you’ll opt for Naz Reid in place of Gobert (which is highly unlikely) or McDaniels.
At the same time, their best play in Anthony Edwards isn’t exactly the most reliable of outside shooters, preferring to get his work done in the mid-range and from attacking the basket.
But if we at SBOTOP are proven wrong with our assumptions, then we’d take the loss like men and move on. But until then, the NBA 2024 odds of this deal going well for the Knicks are a good one, whilst the downside rests on the Timberwolves’ head.
Towns must’ve felt absolutely hard done by
As already mentioned, Towns gave his 100 per cent to the Timberwolves. He sacrificed a lot, and just when things were going well, it was decided that he’s dispensable all of a sudden.
According to NBA 2024 updates, there was no way that Towns requested to be shipped out, and a decision to trade him rested solely on the front office. In fact, earlier today, Towns took his feelings to social media, posting an ellipsis as his reaction to the deal.
Saying he went through a lot is an understatement.
But like all things, there’s the good and the bad. The East is a relatively easier conference, and with a stacked team in New York, it is a likely outcome that he reaches the same heights he had with the Wolves.
At the same time, he reunites with former coach Tom Thibodeau, who I’ve no doubt will ensure a successful stay for Towns in the ‘Big Apple.’
Nevertheless, the move only accentuated the fact that the league is a cold world. Business as usual.
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