Kyle McDonald
With about a week before preseason tips off, when NBA fans thought all the dust had settled, they got one of the biggest bombshells of the offseason- longtime Timberwolves star Karl Anthony-Towns is headed to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a Detroit 1st-round pick.
The Knicks were entering this season as a strong contender after a good showing last season and the addition of Mikal Bridges. With excitement in the air for the reuniting of the 2016 Villanova squad in New York, DiVincenzo was suddenly headed out of town. After a great 2024-25 season in New York, the journeyman now finds himself on yet another team. Reports have been circulating that he wasn’t happy about the reduced role he would play in New York this year, so maybe the change of scenery is for the best.
Breaking up of the band aside, the Knicks moving on from Julius Randle is no small feat either. After signing with New York in 2019, Randle won the Most Improved Player award, and has been selected to three NBA All-Star teams along with two All-NBA teams. Randle was key in New York finding their relevance and becoming competitive again, and is beloved by the organization even after a couple of shaky playoff performances.
Bringing in Towns is nonetheless an upgrade for the team, though. With a couple of All-NBA teams and All-Star appearances under his belt, KAT brings a new dynamic to the Knicks offense. One of the best shooting big men of all time, Towns is as offensively gifted as they come and slots perfectly into a Knicks team that lost Isaiah Hartenstein this summer and will be without starting center Mitchell Robinson indefinitely due to injury. In a vacuum, Towns can match or outshine the impacts of Randle and DiVincenzo. However, this does leave a relatively shallow roster with even less depth off the bench. In terms of talent and fit alone, though, few teams match New York.
As far as the Timberwolves side of the story, losing Towns is bittersweet. The longest-tenured Wolf, Towns was selected first overall by the franchise in 2015 and has been there through a team stuck in the lottery, in mediocrity, and suddenly in contention. He had no desire to be moved, but this is an ultimate case of the business side of the NBA.
The Timberwolves are expensive, and that payroll is only poised to go up. Superstar Anthony Edwards’ $204 million and Jaden McDaniels’ $131 million extensions set to kick in this season. Meanwhile, the team is paying Rudy Gobert roughly $90 million over the next two years with sixth man of the year winner Naz Reid set to command a hefty price tag in restricted free agency this summer. With all of that in mind, stomaching the four years left on Towns’ $220 million dollar deal becomes a lot harder. Pulling the trigger on this deal sends a much cheaper DiVincenzo to Minny alongside Julius Randle, whose contract expires after this season should he decline his player option.
On the court, the drop-off in talent with Towns gone isn’t as big as the names involved may make you think. Randle is an extremely talented forward who can space the floor and create off-the-bounce for himself and his teammates. While he isn’t as big as KAT, he will be more than capable of holding his own on defense, something that’s never been Towns’ strong suit. Randle’s off-the-dribble playstyle will better complement Rudy Gobert’s game with less clogging of the paint. DiVincenzo is a talented scorer and playmaker who will provide valuable minutes, whether off the bench or in the starting lineup. Both will contribute and keep the team pushing for a championship. Goodbyes are hard, but Minnesota fans should embrace the next chapter.
It’s rare to see two championship contenders swap key pieces, and even rarer to see it after training camps have begun. This shakes things up in both conferences and adds even more excitement to an NBA season with some of the most parity the league has ever seen.
