Knicks Land Karl-Anthony Towns in Blockbuster Trade, Deal Randle and DiVincenzo to Minnesota

The Athletic has learned that the New York Knicks have acquired Karl-Anthony Towns, a four-time All-Star center, from the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to league sources. The Timberwolves’ Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round selection via the Detroit Pistons will be sent to the Knicks.

Ever since he was selected first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Towns, 28, has played for the Timberwolves for his whole nine-year career. After missing a large portion of the 2022–23 season due to a knee injury, he returned to All-Star form in 2023–24, averaging 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

— September 28, 2024, Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns)

One league source said that Towns was “stunned” by the deal. This week, he was preparing for one of the most anticipated seasons in Timberwolves history by working out at the team’s practice facility. Towns thought he was a key component of the Wolves’ intentions to advance this season, especially because the team had just made it to the Western Conference finals.

The Knicks have got their long-coveted player in Towns. League insiders claim they contacted the Timberwolves about Towns a few years ago, last year, and again after that. Since Leon Rose, the team president, assumed leadership in 2020 and left CAA, Towns’ agency, to head the basketball division, their gaze has strayed. Rose has finally found her match now.

The Knicks, who finished the previous season with their most wins in ten years—50—have upgraded their roster, which is centered around 28-year-old point player Jalen Brunson. In addition to Towns, the team re-signed forward OG Anunoby, whose signing in December proved crucial to the Knicks’ rise to the No. 2 spot in the East, and added wing Mikal Bridges in an early-summer deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Towns was raised in New Jersey and was an avid Knicks fan. He was a player under current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau from 2016 to 2018, when Thibs was the Wolves’ coach. Although there were problems in the relationship both before and after Thibodeau’s tenure, Towns stated a few years ago that he had moved on and had no animosity toward his former coach, who is currently the current one.

With this trade, the Wolves rearrange their cap sheet. Towns was supposed to start a maximum $220 million, four-year contract that will pay him over $49 million this year. With Randle earning $29 million and DiVincenzo getting $11.5 million this season, they effectively reduced that to two players.

The 27-year-old DiVincenzo has long been desired by the Wolves, who will make a strong push for him in the 2023 free-agency window. His defense and shooting will be a good match for the NBA’s top defensive squad.

Randle, 29, just had surgery for a shoulder issue that happened in April. A Timberwolves squad that found it difficult to score in the conference finals against the Dallas Mavericks may benefit from the three-time All-Star’s half-court scoring. Randle has the chance to opt out of his $30.3 million 2025–2026 contract and become a free agent this summer.

The top 13 protected in 2025, the top 11 in 2026, and the top 9 in 2027 are the draft picks obtained through the Pistons. It becomes a second-round choice if it isn’t conveyed by then.

The Knicks will also give the Charlotte Hornets DaQuan Jeffries and future draft pick compensation as part of the agreement, league sources confirm to The Athletic.

In response to the Timberwolves’ conference final elimination, Towns was questioned about his future in Minnesota.

“I’m not sure,” he uttered. “I’m sure I’ll be able to stay here with my brothers and carry on with my favorite activities at home. That is the strategy; nothing on my end has changed. This city is my favorite. I adore this company. This city is my favorite. It has provided my family and I our lives.”

What does this mean for the Knicks?

Towns add a few pieces that the Knicks sorely need, particularly because Mitchell Robinson plans to return as soon as possible from his offseason ankle surgery in December. Few 7-footers in NBA history possess Towns’ shooting ability.

Additionally, the Knicks, who would otherwise only have two healthy centers in Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims, now have assistance on the boards, an area Thibodeau desires to control more than any other coach in the league. — National NBA writer Fred Katz

What is Towns’ legacy in Minnesota?

In Minnesota, this marks the end of an era. Ever since he was selected first overall in the 2015 draft, Towns has been a cornerstone of the Wolves organization. In addition to being selected for two All-NBA teams and being named to four All-Star teams, he was crowned NBA Rookie of the Year.

He was an active member of the community, entertaining underprivileged children for movie screenings and Christmas handouts, and spearheading a project that provided thousands of winter jackets to those in need. He did random acts of generosity, such as purchasing a car for a fan whose was stolen and who put up a GoFundMe on Twitter.

Early in his career, Towns endured a great deal of loss and frequent organizational turnover. In his first seven years, he had five coaches, seven general managers, and a plethora of potential co-stars, including Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler, and D’Angelo Russell. Then Anthony Edwards came along and showed himself to be the kind of star that Towns could work with and complement.

Towns weathered all of the drama, especially Butler’s crude antics, in a time when players were known to beg for trades at any time. He continued to be devoted to the Wolves, frequently expressing his wish to play his entire career in Minnesota and have his jersey displayed in the rafters. — Beat reporter for the Timberwolves Jon Krawczynski.

How this changes Minnesota’s trajectory

It will be difficult for the Wolves to replace Towns’ shooting and, rather unexpectedly, his defense against Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets. With this deal’s flexibility, the team believes it is better equipped to compete in the long run.

Even still, it’s a surprising decision following what was maybe the best season in the 36-year history of the team. Towns played a crucial role in helping Minnesota advance to the Western Conference finals. He gave the Wolves an offensive boost during their first-round sweep of Phoenix and played excellent defense against Jokić in the second round. Regardless of his size, he was the most proficient shooter on the team.

The Wolves roster’s primary focus is entirely altered by this deal. Going ahead, Edwards will lead the club thanks to the experience of veterans Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, DiVincenzo, Randle, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who support the core of Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid.

The Wolves struck the agreement to extend Edwards’ window of opportunity, according to team insiders who spoke with The Athletic. The flexibility this move gives will let the Wolves pursue their goal of having Edwards on a competitive playoff team for longer than just the next two years. Dealing with Towns may also aid in Reid’s retention. Reid is a very well-liked player in Minnesota and may become a free agency in the summer. — Krawczynski

In what ways do the Knicks offset their losses to DiVincenzo and Randle?

Without Randle, who joined the Knicks in the summer of 2019 and contributed to the team’s image makeover during the previous five years, the team would not be able to make this four-year journey back to relevancy. Since moving to New York, he has been selected for three All-Star and two All-NBA teams. Because of his size and strength, he made passes that no one else on the team could even try, and he consistently scored 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds per game. In the post, he provided the Knicks with a special touch.

Naturally, Towns is capable of doing the same, and he does it with an infinite variety of down-low moves as a 7-footer.

With DiVincenzo’s departure, the “Nova Knicks” never came to an end. Towns, a 40% long-range shooter, will make up for the spacing the Knicks lost by trading for the team’s best shooter from the previous season, even though he just shattered the franchise mark for 3-pointers made in a season.

These days, the Knicks lack depth. DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride were all anticipated to come off the bench before the deal. With DiVincenzo out of the picture, Hart seems to be the front-runner to start, while McBride is expected to play a bigger role.

This team’s identity suddenly changed in an instant. — Katz

 

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