Minnesota Timberwolves: A trade with each team in the bottom 8

Minnesota Timberwolves: Trade with New York Knicks

5. New York Knicks

Minnesota Timberwolves, Julius Randle — Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Pros

For the Timberwolves

This trade brings in a potential long-term fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns in Julius Randle. Randle has shown flashes of excellence in his career, but has never found the right fit for his skillset.

Randle’s career averages are 16.1 points and 9.0 rebounds, but he put up 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season in New York. His scoring paired with his rebounding and defensive presence would be especially valuable to the Wolves. (This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about acquiring Randle here at Dunking With Wolves.)

Additionally, Kevin Knox II provides depth at the small forward, which remains a thin position for the Wolves.

For the Knicks

In this trade, the Knicks acquire a young defensive-minded guard in Jarrett Culver to mix into their young team.

Culver was the No. 6 pick in last year’s draft and has a high ceiling and impressive athleticism. Additionally, James Johnson’s expiring contract would free up just over $16 million in cap space after next year that would allow the Knicks to go star hunting in a strong free agent class.

Cons

For the Timberwolves

This trade would be a devastating blow to the Wolves defense, as Culver and Johnson are some of the Wolves’ best defenders.

Also, Randle is not a strong 3-point shooter, hitting on just 29.5 percent from three in his career. It is plausible that a $19 million contract is a lot to invest in a power forward that is inconsistent from three in an offense that is heavily reliant on 3-point shooting, especially since it would take a former first-rounder and a second-round pick to acquire him.

For the Knicks

This trade offers no guarantees for the Knicks.

There is no guarantee that Jarrett Culver improves and reaches his ceiling. There is no guarantee that the Knicks will be able to acquire top free agents with the cap space that James Johnson’s contract creates. There is no guarantee that the player the Knicks select with the Wolves’ early-second round pick pans out.

The number of unknowns associated with this trade could be a turnoff for management.