The New York Knicks are trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s a deal that's still fluid and could grow to a third team.
Karalis’ Analysis:
The Knicks needed help at center after it became clear that Mitchell Robinson would be out until maybe January as he recovered from his foot injury. With no assurance that he’d return to his former self or stay healthy if he did, and with Randle’s extension in limbo, the Knicks started shopping Randle.
Minnesota, being in Minnesota, wasn’t willing to pay what it took to keep this core together. Towns was both a centerpiece of a team that made the Western Conference Finals, and part of the reason why the didn’t advance past that.
Both sides were motivated for their own reasons. The real question, especially from a Boston perspective, is how much better does this really make the Knicks? Towns is a better offensive player than DiVincenzo or Randle, but does he give the Knicks more than both of them combined?
The answer depends on how much Tom Thibodeau remakes his system on short notice. The obvious answer would be “a lot,” but also who knows what Thibs is thinking. Is he going to ask Towns to meet him somewhere in the middle and do a lot more rolling than he’s used to? Or will he lean heavily into KAT’s strengths?
KAT is very talented. His addition probably re-shapes the Knicks offense, giving Jalen Brunson more space to drive and distribute. Towns is a 40% 3-point shooter, so he’ll always find himself floating around the perimeter. Towns was the roll man 9.9% of the time in pick-and-rolls. By contrast, Isaiah Hartenstein rolled 20.8% of the time and Mitchell Robinson 13.3%
The Knicks' offense relied on a lot on stops and offensive rebounds to score last season, but that's also clearly going to change. Towns was 136th in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage. Seven Boston Celtics, including Payton Pritchard, were better at offensive rebounding. But to be fair, Kristaps Porzingis was 147th, so stretch bigs who hang around the perimeter a lot aren’t going to be in that mix as much one might think.
New York is going to have to reinvent themselves to work Towns into the offense. That will take some adjusting, but ultimately, this mix brings them more in line with a modern NBA style. The Knicks were 11th in the NBA in 3-point attempts, a number which should go up with Towns there. And with more room to breathe, Brunson could get going with more space and less help off a big.
Defensively, this seems to be a wash for New York. Towns isn’t giving the Knicks what Robinson gave them defensively, but neither were Randle or DiVincenzo. Towns hasn’t been a shot blocker, but he also has moved away from the rim since Rudy Gobert got to Minnesota. Towns’ block percentage dropped from somewhere in the 3% range to the mid-1% range. Porzingis, by contrast, is at 5.8% and Gobert is 5.5%. It will probably go up again in this role in New York, but can he get up to the elite numbers?
Is Towns better than what New York gave up? Yes. He’ll make the Knicks better in some ways, but he also does create other issues.
The two-for-one deal does deal New York’s depth a blow. That's a particular concern on a Thibodeau team because we all know Thibs isn't afraid of running his guys out there extra minutes. If he doesn’t trust the players on his bench, then his starters are taking on the extra toll, and that could exacerbate an already ongoing issue in New York.
There's also the prior relationship between Thibs and Towns in Minnesota. Thibodeau was both coach and GM there, so that probably contributed to the tension, but Towns wasn’t happy about how Thibs handled the younger players there.
“(It’s) a disrespect and a slap in the face to their development, you know, and I want to make sure that they develop not only as players, but as human beings and as men,” Towns said back in 2019 after Thibodeu’s departure. “We have to make sure our culture is not based on just basketball. This is a family atmosphere. Everything we do here in Minnesota has to be able to have a family. A family backing and a family thought process. And building people’s personalities, characters and showing them more of themselves. And you’re more than basketball.”
Time heals all wounds, but this isn’t exactly the most solid foundation for a relationship.
Further, Towns isn’t exactly built like Jaylen Brown, either. His conditioning has been an issue from time to time, and if he’s not ready to handle the Thibodeau workload, it could lead to tension or worse.
Should the Celtics fear the Knicks any more than they did before? No, not really. Towns adds a more dangerous element, but the Celtics are the best defensive team in the East partially because they can handle different challenges like this. Towns adds a dangerous element, but he can also be attacked. The Celtics will gladly put him in pick-and-rolls and dare him to defend without fouling.
Boston has multiple guys who can defend him, even without Porzingis. Jayson Tatum becomes increasingly important defensively against the Knicks because he will either switch onto KAT from time to time or rotate to protect the rim when Boston’s bigs are occupied on the perimeter. Whenever Tatum does slide into rim-protection mode, wings like Brown, Jrue Holiday, or Derrick White become important rebounders.
And don’t be surprised if Holiday draws the assignment of guarding Towns on opening night. He’ll hound Towns on the perimeter and dare Towns into “mismatch” hunting on the post. Towns had similar efficiency as Porzingis in the post, with both scoring 1.13 points per possession last season. But even if he does succeed in that way, drawing a 40% 3-point shooter into a post scoring battle is a win for Boston’s defense because it not only keeps him to two points, but it clogs things up for Brunson.
So Boston has the means to handle this deal, even though it is a bit of a shocking blockbuster.
As for Minnesota, this move saves them a bunch of money and, assuming they part ways with Randle at some point, gets them off the big money sooner. It gives Minnesota a more natural 4/5 combination with Randle and Gobert, so they could keep moving forward without missing much of a beat. Naz Reid will get more run at center as well, and everyone loves that.
People will clown the Wolves for financially-motivated moves after getting to the Western Conference Finals, and with good reason. But at the same time, I never believed in KAT’s ability as a big-time player. I do wonder if he’ll wilt under the bright lights of MSG and the scrutiny of the New York media. He’s had it pretty easy in Minnesota over the years, but it won’t be pretty in New York if he has a rough playoff run at his $50 million salary.
New York isn’t for everyone, and Towns hasn’t exactly exuded toughness over the years. The Knicks have made a name for themselves as the gritty bunch who never says die, which isn't how I’ve ever viewed Towns.