For nearly the first two seasons, the Karl-Anthony Towns-Julius Randle trade looked like a fair move. Then the playoffs happened. KAT became a key linchpin of a championship-winning New York Knicks team, while Randle had a disastrous series against the San Antonio Spurs.
The trade already flipped in the other direction, looking bad for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, with the Wolves trading Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets for salary relief, it's hard to argue that this trade now isn't a clear disaster for the Wolves.
Yes, the Wolves needed some extra flexibility and they could still make another move with some of their newfound cap space. However, nearly two years later, it's clear that the Wolves would have been better served trading KAT for a guard or trading Rudy Gobert instead.
Financial aspects of trades must be considered, but when you trade a viable co-star alongside Anthony Edwards for Donte DiVincenzo, Joan Beringer and cap flexibility, that's beyond a terrible look.
It's getting impossible to defend the KAT trade
Even throughout the playoff run and seeing KAT blossom on a championship team, I never went as far as to label the trade as an outright disaster. I understood there were significant financial reasons behind the deal. Still, trading Randle and getting absolutely nothing back basketball-wise is a failure -- there's no way around it.
And yes, I understand that the Wolves can still make another move, thanks to some of the flexibility they created. If the Wolves can make a subsequent move on the trade market or via free agency (other than simply re-signing Ayo Dosunmu), that could help soften the blow to some extent. Finding someone who is a true needle mover will be difficult, though.
I've argued that the Wolves don't need a true star alongside Edwards if they can build a well-rounded roster around him. While I stand by this, it will be difficult to do so even with some of their extra cap space. Part of the equation for me was always getting some level of value back for Randle.
When Randle was first traded, I thought a Gobert trade was inevitable, yet recent reporting from The Stein Line indicates the Wolves are hesitant to trade him. Even if they do trade Gobert, it's unlikely that the Wolves will be able to trade him for a truly high-end guard and fill their subsequent center void.
More moves are surely on the horizon for the Wolves. Salary-dumping Randle to help re-sign Dosunmu can't be the Wolves' lone offseason move.
Regardless, the Wolves are still searching for the void created by trading KAT two years ago and as more time goes by, this deal looks like a genuine disaster for Minnesota.
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