Just when everyone thought the NBA's offseason news cycle was finished, a massive news bomb was dropped on the community late Friday evening. Shams Charania reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves had officially traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick.
This was a huge surprise to everyone involved, apparently even to Karl-Anthony Towns himself. The Timberwolves' former big man posted simply "..." to his account on X after news of the trade broke. With less than a week left until media day and training camp, it certainly seemed that all major dealings in the league would be complete by now. But Tim Connelly and Minnesota's front office had one more trick up their sleeves.
In an absolutely shocking move, the Timberwolves will now say goodbye to their longest-tenured player and face of the team for nearly a decade. Replacing him immediately in the starting frontcourt will be Julius Randle, who has been one of the most productive bigs in the league for the last half-decade.
Minnesota sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks
At first glance, Randle does not seem to be a bad fit next to Rudy Gobert in Minnesota's frontcourt. He is more than capable of creating his own shot in the paint, and is a strong rebounder down low. The biggest problem right off the bat, or at least the biggest difference between he and Towns, would be the differential in shooting efficiency. KAT shoots just under 40% from three-point range for his career, while Randle has shot 33% in his career.
This could create some problems, but it is too soon to use that as a reason why this trade was a good or bad move. Looking at the rest of the deal, Donte DiVincenzo is one of the better all-around role players in the league, and he put up a career-high 15.5 points per game for the Knicks last season while playing 81 games. His 40.1% shooting mark from deep last year should be a big lift to the Wolves.
The final piece here is the first-round pick, which comes from the Detroit Pistons. According to Justin Russo, the pick is top 13 protected in 2025, top 11 protected in 2026, and top 9 protected in 2027. It is questionable as to whether Minnesota will actually end up with it in their possession when things are all said and done.
Overall, this surprising and league-altering move feels like a bit of a rushed decision from the Timberwolves. It is likely that KAT's contract came into play when making this move, but trading him just a few short days before the season will give the Timberwolves much less time to acclimate to their new teammates.