When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks shortly before last season, it was seen as a controversial move. After both teams made the conference finals, this trade was seen as a win-win.
Now the Knicks might be having some remorse as Steve Popper of Newsday reported that Towns could be on the move again ahead of February's trade deadline.
The main reason Minnesota traded KAT was his enormous contract. Towns is in the second year of a four-year $220 million contract. In the second-apron era, building a championship roster with such a contract is difficult, and the Knicks are learning this the hard way. Furthermore, Towns' poor defense makes it hard to build around him -- especially when your best player (Jalen Brunson) isn't a good defender either.
The Knicks are just 7-11 in their past 18 games (2-8 in their past 10), and have the second-worst defense during this stretch. There are a lot of factors at play, but the Brunson-KAT defensive duo is clearly hurting them. On the season, this pairing has an abysmal 119.7 defensive rating per Cleaning the Glass.
The Knicks are learning about Towns' shortcomings
Towns is the definition of imperfect, I think, even the biggest KAT fans would have to admit this. As such, you have to build a nearly perfect team around him. His defensive limitations are exactly why the Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert back in 2022.
KAT's offensive talent is undeniable -- he is one of the best 3-point shooting bigs in league history and can score around the rim at a high level as well. However, even Towns' offensive game has clear frustrations. Most notably, he is turnover-prone and highly erratic as a scorer.
Since the turn of the calendar, Towns is averaging 17.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3.3 turnovers on 43.2/32.4/79.6 shooting splits. These bouts of inconsistency are commonplace for Towns, and it thus becomes harder to justify an average annual salary of $55.1 million. Towns often struggles to take advantage of mismatches and regularly has head-scratching turnovers, including charges.
None of this is to say that Towns is a bad player; he is still a top-25-level guy. Regardless, he has clear deficiencies and a massive contract that make him challenging to build around.
The Timberwolves knew this when trading him, and the Knicks are now finding this out.
The trade has aged well for the Timberwolves
While the Knicks might be ready to move on from Towns already, the Wolves couldn't be happier with how this trade has played out. Julius Randle has proven to be an ideal co-star next to Anthony Edwards. Randle gives the Wolves some much-needed shot creation and playmaking boost -- something they lacked with Towns.
The difference between Randle and Towns in terms of where they rank among the league's best players is limited. Yet, Randle's contract is $22 million cheaper per year.
Furthermore, Minnesota added Donte DiVincenzo, who has assumed a starting role next to Ant in the backcourt. DiVincenzo's 3-point shooting and well-rounded impact have made him a valuable part of the Wolves' success. The Wolves also got back a 2025 first-round pick that became Joan Beringer. In his limited minutes, Beringer has made a strong impact on both ends of the floor.
It's safe to say, this trade has worked out for the Wolves.