All offseason, the New York Knicks have had a lingering question: who will play center? After all, Mitchell Robinson is expected to be out until at least December, and Isaiah Hartenstein signed a big deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last Friday, New York addressed this problem in a significant way, pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns. In exchange, New York parted ways with Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, a first-round pick and other depth pieces. While fans of both teams believe they “got fleeced” or did the fleecing, this was a solid business deal for both sides and brings the Knicks that much closer to a championship.
This deal perfectly sums up the idea that people who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. For years, Carmelo Anthony was a one-man wrecking crew for New York, and the team failed to build a consistent, solid roster around him. However, Leon Rose and the New York front office have demonstrated that they will do all they can to build a championship roster around Jalen Brunson, who they believe is a franchise star. In order to do so, tough calls have to be made. This trade is one of them.
While DiVincenzo is a significant force off the bench and played a quintessential role in last year’s campaign, he is too good to be a sixth man, and teams realize this. The Knicks weren’t going to utilize his skills this year fully, and that is why it made sense to package him in a deal. It’s hard to carve out a significant role in an offense that features not just Brunson but O.G. Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and even Josh Hart, who frequently logged 40-minute nights. As good as DiVincenzo was, the team needed a big man, and Towns is one of the best in the Association. This fact alone makes keeping DiVincenzo on the squad over Towns harder and harder to justify the more you think about it.
Similarly, despite how good Randle is, the argument of keeping him on the squad makes less and less sense the more you break it down. Randle played well in his five years with the team, bringing New York to the playoffs three out of his five seasons. The former Kentucky Wildcat also put up solid scoring numbers for the squad and was a threat to pretty much everywhere. Whether it was beyond the arc or in the paint for a layup or turnaround jump shot, his bag was deep. Despite this, Randle had his limitations. The 29-year-old was the perfect second-scoring option, but he was no stranger to cold stretches and was as streaky as they come. In the middle of these offensive slumps, Randle often forced poor, low-percentage shots that weren’t there and would miss badly. Not to mention, these stretches came at the worst times for the squad. In the 2021 and 2023 playoffs, Randle’s efficiency numbers fell off a cliff from the regular season, shooting nearly 20% less from the field and scoring significantly less than the team was accustomed to. It should be noted that Randle was nursing an ankle injury in the 2023 postseason. However, his down performance in the postseason is a significant reason why the Knicks didn’t make it as far as they could have in both their series against Atlanta and Miami. While the regular season still matters, how players perform under the bright lights is crucial, especially for a team looking to rival Boston as an Eastern Conference powerhouse.
It is possible to acknowledge Randle as a great regular season performer. After all, he is the reason New York went from the laughingstock of the league to legitimate finals contenders. Many Knicks fans wanted the same squad to run it back this season. However, with Randle still nursing his major shoulder injury and having a shaky playoff history, the risk of getting the same results is massive. Another major factor went into this trade: could the Knicks have kept Randle after this season if they even wanted to?
Fans may not realize it, but this is the final season on Randle’s contract with the team, meaning he will hit the free agency market after this season unless he extends. Randle’s contract pays him $28 million this season, and his deal will command much more money. The power forward will likely land a deal that pays him, on the low end, $40 million a year. For a team like the Knicks, who were $3 million over the first apron before this deal, they had no chance at keeping him. This fact alone is why this trade is so special. The Knicks didn’t compromise, and they didn’t trade him for a player much below his value. They got exactly what they needed, and Towns will be a Knick through at least 2026.
What makes Towns so valuable? After all, why did the Knicks move two significant pieces, a first-round pick, among some depth to try and get him? Towns is a matchup nightmare, as the 7-foot-0 big man can do it all. He will match up well against all the centers from Eastern Conference powerhouses: Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, Kristaps Porzingis in Boston and his former teammate Rudy Gobert. Not to mention, his ability to stretch the floor and knock down the three-point ball at a high clip is a significant reason why the Knicks got so much better. With Towns leaking out to the three-point line, the threat of him knocking down a big shot has the potential to vacate the paint completely, and that complements the playstyle of Brunson, who excels around the rim. On top of that, Towns is a significant physical presence that will clog up lanes and is a much better defender than people give him credit for. With a coach like Tom Thibodeau, playing hard-nosed defense is a necessity, not a suggestion, and there’s no reason to think that he can’t grow even more this season.
Before this trade, it was hard to see New York competing in a seven-game series with Boston. Brunson would have to take over the game like Allen Iverson, and the team would have to get very lucky, which very well could have happened, but was not likely. This trade addressed a major need while eliminating any uncertainty around this roster, and the needle of competing for a championship has moved that much closer.