On September 27, 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in a three-team deal that included Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round draft pick. This breaks up the former Villanova Trio of Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Mikal Bridges.
If I had to choose which team won this trade, I would have to go with Minnesota. The Knicks lose a great role player in DiVincenzo. At times during the 2023-24 season and in the postseason, he played like he was more than a role player. He was effective on both sides of the ball and was of great help for the Knicks.
The Timberwolves also added three time All-Star and 2021 Most Improved Player Julius Randle. If he is able to stay healthy most of the season and be out there with Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves could be one of the teams to watch out for in the Western Conference.
I do have the Knicks losing this trade but by a small margin. They still have pieces to make the postseason again, with players like Miles McBride, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart serving as good surrounding pieces alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. They also have a head coach in Tom Thibodeau, who previously coached in Minnesota and has led the Knicks to the postseason for two years straight.
In my honest opinion, losing DiVencenzo slightly hurts the Knicks as he was a very reliable role player and was doing everything the Knicks possibly needed – hustle plays, offensive playmaking and defending at a high level. With Randle leaving the Knicks, this leaves them without a strong scoring presence, as he averaged 24 points per game last season.
Now this doesn’t mean that Towns and Bridges cannot adequately substitute or surpass Randle’s scoring, but the Knicks will have to adapt and excel with their new pieces in Towns and Bridges.
Photo Credit: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post (Karl-Anthony Towns) https://www.canishoopus.com/2024/5/17/24159072/karl-anthony-towns-dominated-game-6-minnesota-timberwolves-denver-nuggets-film-room-nba-playoffs
Photo Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images (Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo) https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/news/new-york-knicks-stars-pay-tribute-julius-randle-donte-divincenzo
Sources:
https://apnews.com/article/timberwolves-knicks-towns-randle-trade-1854bb7c531af41fa85c5154fae42936
