Mavericks rival's massive trade shakes up Western Conference

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The Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks were involved in a three-team trade on Friday that saw Karl-Anthony Towns end up in New York. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves acquired Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick. The Charlotte Hornets also acquired DaQuan Jeffries, salary and draft compensation as part of the deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. So how does this deal impact the Dallas Mavericks?

How Timberwolves-Knicks trade impacts Mavericks, Western Conference

For starters, Towns is no longer in the Western Conference. The versatile big man averaged 20 points and eight rebounds in the 2024 Western Conference Finals against the Mavs. Towns had some ups and downs in the series, but he still made a big impact. Dallas ultimately earned a series victory in five games, though.

The Timberwolves are expected to be among the teams who will challenge the Mavs for the No. 1 seed in the West. Dallas reached the NBA Finals last season, but they entered the postseason as the No. 5 overall seed. In order to earn a higher seed in 2024-25, the Mavs will need to surpass teams such as the Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.

The Mavericks have more than enough talent to take a step forward. Minnesota will be an intriguing team to keep tabs on, though. They will now feature a different attack after moving on from Towns. The trade gives them a star with a different skill set in Randle and a quality role player in DiVincenzo.

Rudy Gobert remains the Timberwolves center. Randle’s presence gives the Knicks another forward who can contribute on the boards and in the paint. Randle doesn’t shoot the three-ball at a high level like Towns, but his rebounding prowess will give the Mavs something to consider in head-to-head matchups.

Anthony Edwards is still the best player on the Timberwolves, but there is no denying the fact that the trade shakes up the roster. As a result, the top teams in the Western Conference will need to shift their gameplans when preparing to play against the Timberwolves.

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