Timberwolves President drops tough Karl-Anthony Towns admission after trade
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After nine seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves have traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Keita Bates-Diop, along with a future first-round pick. The trade ultimately included the Charlotte Hornets, who received Charlie Brown, Duquan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., and two future second-round picks from the Knicks, while receiving a 2025 second-round pick from the Wolves and cash considerations. Meanwhile, besides Towns, the Knicks also received draft rights to James Nnaji, via the Hornets.
Trading one of the team’s pillars both on and off the court wasn’t easy for the Timberwolves, if you asked President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, even though they clearly blindsided Towns, who has never requested a trade even after several losing seasons.
“We don’t trade a person like KAT lightly,” Connelly said, via a report from Jon Krawczynski for The Athletic. “We were very specific with what it would take. Quite frankly, the asking price was very high when you see what these guys accomplished last year.”
The Timberwolves part with KAT
Before the Knicks trade, Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract would have forced the Timberwolves to pay millions in luxury tax to keep the team that advanced to the Western Conference finals last season.
Moreover, the team must have felt that they have more upside with Anthony Edwards, who’s only 23 years old but has already proven his value as the team’s main guy and playoff performer.
They might have figured that having Mike Conley put him in scoring positions is enough, while Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert lock down the perimeter and the paint.
Moreover, they can rely on DiVincenzo and Naz Reid to contribute off the bench, though they might give Reid a starting job, depending on Randle’s play or his chemistry with Edwards.
Still, losing a floor spacer in KAT would sting, as Edwards might not have the same room to operate with Randle holding the ball in the elbow and Gobert roosting in the paint.
How about the Knicks?
Meanwhile, Edwards might have overshadowed KAT, but he is still a four-time All-Star and one of the best big-man shooters in the league. The Knicks’ perimeter defenders would cover for his deficiencies, while the pick-and-pop/roll game with Jalen Brunson should carve up teams with thin interiors.
Offensively, Towns is a definite upgrade over Randle, mainly because KAT has more range. However, the trade has depleted the Knicks’ bench, which could be concerning given Tom Thibodeau‘s penchant for playing his starters heavy minutes even in relatively meaningless games.
KAT’s prior experience with Thibs should let them hit the ground running, though.
“I know the offense he likes to run,” Towns said in a report by Timothy Rapp for Bleacher Report. “I know the way he likes to play defense and what he expects from his players.”
On paper, the Knicks might have become title contenders while the Wolves might have gone down a tier. However, games aren’t won on paper, and we’ll see how both teams perform next season.
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