Both the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off phenomenal 2023-24 NBA seasons; the Knicks clinched their most regular season wins in over a decade, and the Timberwolves made it to the conference finals after years of irrelevance. Admittedly, while neither team was arguably quite at the level of the Boston Celtics—who are fresh off a dominant championship run—both the Knicks and the Timberwolves seem poised for another stellar season. However, in a blockbuster move that stunned the entire NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ dealt the franchise’s former top pick Karl Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for former All NBA player Julius Randle and premier 3-and-D guard Donte Divencenzo.
This deal was a shocker. One of the most prevalent stories of the NBA offseason was the Knicks’ acquisition of Mikal Bridges, forming the formidable “Nova Knicks” of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Donte Divinecenzo and, of course, Mikal Bridges. However, the Knicks broke this group up just 3 months and 0 games played later, killing the dream of many Knicks fans. One such fan includes a pillar of our Mitty community, Mr. Perez. “As a lifelong Knicks fan, I am skeptical of this deal. We made this trade in haste, ruining the team we had established already with the guys from Villanova.”
Mr. Perez’s opinion perfectly sums up the feelings of most Knicks fans and NBA talking-heads. However, while there is confusion, there is ultimately a glimpse of optimism for this new beginning.
Despite the disappointment of not seeing the “Nova Knicks” on the floor together, many fans feel that the Knicks won this trade. After conducting a survey of Mitty faculty and students, there was a general consensus that the Knicks won the deal. Senior Robert Bajdechi said, “Julius Randle is too inconsistent shooting the three-ball and is pretty injury prone. The Knicks obviously won this trade because KAT significantly improves their shooting.”
Conversely, others believe that this deal was a lose-lose situation, with neither team really making a substantial improvement. Senior Viksar Dubey said: “I think it was a premature move on the part of the Knicks and I think they made a lateral move that doesn’t really help them improve. It also doesn’t make sense for Timberwolves, as it took the whole regular season for KAT and Gobert to develop chemistry. And now, it feels like a hard reset.”
And these frustrations are understandable. In making this upgrade at the big spot, the Knicks lost a considerable amount of the little depth they had in the first place, as they moved on from Donte Divencenzo. However, their increase in star power—going from Randle to KAT—might allow them to make up for this lack of depth. For almost a decade, the Knicks haven’t had reliable center play, with starting center Mitchell Robinson often forced to watch from the sidelines due to injury. Hence, adding KAT fills the major hole that was present in the Knick’s roster pre-trade; KAT comes in and immediately completes their starting lineup, adding needed 3-level scoring to the already stout defensive group. With a new starting five of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and KAT, the new look Knicks theoretically have the talent to compete with any team on both ends of the floor.
On the other hand, while losing the team’s perennial All Star and franchise building block hurts the Timberwolves, the addition of Divencenzo provides them with much needed depth which will be increasingly impactful come playoff time. Divencenzo is an instant microwave off the bench for the Timberwolves, adding much needed shooting and perimeter defense to the second unit. Furthermore, a guard rotation of Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Donte Divincenzo, and 2024 9th overall pick Robert Dillingham will be one of—if not the best—guard rotations in the NBA. On top of this added depth, if Julius Randle is also able to fully come back from his shoulder injury and play at an All-NBA level, the Wolves’ offense likely won’t skip a beat and they will continue to be a top offensive team in the NBA regular season.
A major criticism of Randle, however, is his continuously subpar playoff performances; the three time All Star only averaged 34.4% from the field in his 15 playoff games for the New York Knicks. Additionally, Randle’s poor 3-point shooting will limit the versatility of the Timberwolves’ roster in today’s perimeter-centric game. If Randle isn’t able to be a consistent second option to budding superstar Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves will struggle to truly compete in a stacked Western Conference.
However, for the Timberwolves, this trade was also motivated by other factors off the court: namely, the team’s growing luxury tax and lack of cap space. With the new CBA, teams face serious repercussions if they reach the second apron, including trade restrictions and the inability to participate in the buyout market. Karl-Anthony-Towns is amidst a four-year $220 million supermax contract, so it’s understandable why the Timberwolves would want to move on from the star big man despite his undeniable talent. This move allows the team to maximize the Anthony Edwards window by ensuring that they are able to keep the rest of the roster together for years to come.
Ultimately, as both the Knicks and the Timberwolves look to build on their successes from last season, this trade has intriguing ramifications for the rest of the NBA. Will this be the move that allows both teams to finish atop their respective conferences? Or will this trade fail to drastically improve either party? Time will only tell as another off-season concludes in a stunning fashion.