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Knicks Reportedly Acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns, Sending Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo to Timberwolves

The New York Knicks needed a center – and they simply traded for one of the best offensive centers in the game.

The Knicks have reportedly agreed to a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves. deal broken by Shams Charania and John Krawczynski of The Athletic. This is ultimately a three-team trade involving Charlotte to make the money work, and Minnesota also gets a top-13 protected pick in the 2025 first round (via the Pistons).

The Towns camp is reportedly blindsided and stunned by the news after nine seasons in Minnesota.

Either way, this is a huge win for the Knicks, who were already considered contenders and are now adding one of the best centers in the game. While coach Tom Thibodeau will be frustrated with his defense, Towns can get buckets around the rim and stretch the floor from the 3. He’s an offensive force (perhaps behind only Nikola Jokic in today’s NBA). He can start with the five this season and when Mitchell Robinson returns from injury around Christmas it will give New York as good a center rotation as there is in the league.

The Knicks, already title contenders, got better on paper. They are a legitimate threat to the Celtics atop the East (even if they lost a bit of guard depth).

The big question: Is Towns mentally ready for a grinding, physical Tom Thibodeau team? KAT’s reputation is softer than that, and he’ll be asked to play a role that’s more Rudy Gobert in Minnesota. That said, Towns previously played for Thibs in Minnesota and the coach has had nothing but kind words for the center in recent years.

Minnesota is making this trade for two reasons. First, Randle as the four alongside Gobert as the five makes the Timberwolves serious contenders this season (although Naz Reid at the four and Randle off the bench are a better fit). Second, they pick up some quality guard depth with DiVincenzo. Minnesota remains a threat to win it all.

However, Minnesota will be unreasonably expensive in the coming years – no matter who is the owner – and this will save money if they don’t re-sign Randle. Minnesota was about to become the most expensive team in the league, and because of the new CBA’s second tax apron, remaining a contender would be a problem. It could make Randle a free agent this summer, or he could sign for $30.9 million and test the 2026 market.

NBA training camps open next week, but blockbusters are already stealing the headlines: the NBA is back.

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