Breaking Down the Trade: Karl-Anthony Towns Goes to New York, Randle and DiVincenzo to Minnesota

October 1st, 2024

A couple of days ago, it seemed like it was going to be another ordinary, anonymous night heading into the NBA season when suddenly a blockbuster trade happened between Minnesota and New York, and the unthinkable happened, Karl-Anthony Towns was traded, and New York decided to break up the quartet that made up the Nova Knicks. Even weirder, NBA writer Mat Issa stated in a tweet that Donte DiVincenzo might not have been feeling the Nova Knicks as much as Brunson, Hart, and Bridges, and that DiVincenzo was even possibly unhappy in New York. But the real surprise was in Minnesota trading their longtime superstar big man Karl-Anthony Towns, as the Towns and Gobert double center experiment ends for them, but it also may be a move for the Timberwolves to possibly shed payroll in the future.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle are swapping teams, as Towns will be playing for the New York Knicks, and Randle along with Donte DiVincenzo will play for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
(Photo: Adam Hunger/Associated Press, via Inquirer Sports – Inquirer.Net)

Karl-Anthony Towns is a seven foot, super skilled big man that has made four NBA All-Star teams in nine NBA seasons, and he boasts having career averages of 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and over a block per game, while being a career 40% three-point shooter, as he’s been one of the best shooting big men in NBA history. On the other hand, he’s only averaged 50 games in the past five NBA seasons, as he’s played only 70 games or more once in that time span after only missing five games in his first four NBA seasons, as Towns’ inability to stay healthy could make this trade somewhat of a risk for New York. But Towns has been one of the best big men in the NBA for years, and as New York lost Hartenstein to Oklahoma City via free agency in the offseason, and Mitchell Robinson is seemingly always injured nowadays, this fills both a need for New York, and they get one of the most skilled players in all of the NBA.

Julius Randle is a 6-8 forward who has made three NBA All-Star teams in ten seasons, and he’s on a much more team-friendly contract. As where Towns will be making around $50 million or more for the next three seasons and has a player option for the 2027-28 season, Randle will make $28 million this season and has a player option for next season.

During his time with the Knicks, Randle could make a strong case to suggest that he may have been a very underrated player in this league. In his five seasons with the Knicks, Randle averaged roughly 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per game, while making 34% of his threes for them. He only played 46 games in the 2023-24 season, but he’s played 330 games in the past five seasons, so he has been more durable recently. On the other hand, Randle has performed extremely poorly in the playoffs, and he’s a career 34% field goal shooter and has made just 28% of his threes in his NBA postseason career. On top of that, Randle is a year older than Towns, which may make Minnesota trading for him a head scratching move, considering that Towns is the more talented player.

Donte DiVincenzo is a super-skilled swingman that has a very solid set of offensive skills, and he is a versatile player that can start or come off the bench, and if he does come off the bench, he would be one of the best bench players in the NBA. (Photo: Brad Penner/Imagn Images, via Yardbarker)

Donte DiVincenzo is coming off his best season, as he averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while making 40% of his three-pointers for the Knicks during the 2023-24 season. He’s a 27-year old NBA journeyman that has posted career averages of 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while making roughly 38% of his threes for his career. His versatility enables him to effectively start or come off the bench. Though he only played in 42 games during the 2021-22 season, he’s played in 153 games in the past two NBA seasons, so he’s been fairly durable recently.

In addition, Keita Bates-Diop and draft pick compensation is also headed to Minnesota in this trade, presumably to make the deal work. On top of that, DaQuan Jeffries and draft pick compensation is headed to Charlotte reportedly, also presumably to make the deal work. Bates-Diop will compete for a rotation role in Minnesota, as he can provide scoring off the bench, but he will face stiff competition for minutes. DaQuan Jeffries is a very talented swingman that has played sparingly in this league, but he will get a chance for some playing time in Charlotte.

The Trade:

The New York Knicks Get:
Karl-Anthony Towns
The rights to James Nnaji

The Minnesota Timberwolves Get:
Julius Randle
Donte DiVincenzo
Keita Bates-Diop
1st Round Pick (via DET, Top-13 protected, top-11 protected in 2026, top-9 protected in 2027, second round pick if doesn’t convey until 2028 and beyond)

The Charlotte Hornets Get:
DaQuan Jeffries
Charlie Brown Jr.
Duane Washington Jr.
3 2nd Round Picks

So in analysis, this appears to be a very good trade for New York, as they level up, get another superstar by upgrading from Randle to Towns, and while they have to part ways with DiVincenzo and some draft picks, if Towns can stay healthy, the Knicks could be a formidable contender to challenge Boston out in the East. However, if he can’t stay healthy, or if he somehow doesn’t play like the elite big man we know he can be, then the Knicks will have a very expensive contract on their hands for the next several years.

For Minnesota, it’s a curious trade in which they dealt away one of the more talented players in the league, and on the surface, it appears to be a quantity for quality trade, but they also make a move to deepen their already pretty solid bench. For Charlotte, they trade the rights of an athletic, young rim protector away to New York, but they get three second round picks, as well as some back-end roster candidates.

On the surface, this trade appears to be a significant win for New York, but amid a closer in-depth look, this trade looks to be more even between New York and Minnesota, at least in the short run. In the long run, the Knicks could end up being a formidable contender, but that is if Towns can stay healthy, while for the Timberwolves, their ability to keep or move out from under Randle’s contract in a couple of years could give them more flexibility in the salary cap, although they lose a very talented player by dealing away Towns.

Trade Grades:

New York Knicks: B

The Knicks get a possible franchise-level player in Towns when healthy, as Karl-Anthony Towns is a dynamic offensive player with rim protection potential, but he’s struggled to stay healthy over the years. He’s also never made an All-Defensive team, neither on the first nor second team, so his defensive impact may be a relative question mark. But there’s no doubt that when healthy, he’s proven to be a star player that figures to be an upgrade over Randle and at the center position. And if Towns can stay healthy all year long, the star power of the Knicks having Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges, along with a slew of solid role players could make them formidable challengers to Boston in the East in 2025.

Minnesota Timberwolves: B

The Timberwolves lost their longtime star big man in Towns, but they get an All-Star caliber forward back in Julius Randle, who doesn’t quite have as much outside shooting, but makes up for it in playmaking skills. However, Randle hasn’t played very well in the playoffs, but the Timberwolves get back some cap flexibility as they can easily get out from under his contract within a few years if they decide to move on from him at some point. Also, the Timberwolves are no longer contractually obligated or tethered to Towns’ long-term contract, which can be interpreted in any number of ways.

In addition, they also add to their already strong depth by acquiring Donte DiVincenzo in a trade to strengthen their team. DiVincenzo had his best season last year, and he’s a smart, skilled offensive-minded swingman that has understated athleticism. He’s a player that can start or come off the bench, and the only downside is that having him on the team may decrease the chances of Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. getting playing time right away as rookies, as the Timberwolves’ projected lineup of Rudy Gobert, Randle, Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and Mike Conley, along with having Naz Reid, DiVincenzo, along with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Joe Ingles makes it a formidable first nine players in their rotation, which will give the Timberwolves an even stronger, and more established rotation, even though they’ll lose the dynamic play of Towns in the lineup. In addition, the Timberwolves get an old fan favorite back in Keita Bates-Diop, and while that doesn’t move the needle, Bates-Diop could be a welcome familiar face back onto their team, and they also added some more draft capital.

Charlotte is trading 6-11 big man James Nnaji to New York, but the Hornets will get several second round picks in return. The Knicks will get the rights to Nnaji, who could be a promising rotational big man for them in the future, though he isn’t slated to come over to the NBA right away. (Photo: Enric Fontcuberta/EFE, via AS USA – Diario AS)

Charlotte Hornets: B

The Hornets gave up a promising young player in James Nnaji, but they are able to add another player to their roster in DaQuan Jeffries, even if it’s uncertain if he’ll make their team or stay on the roster, but if he does, he’s a very athletic swingman that could project into a defensive specialist role, as well as two other backend players. They also added some draft capital. Losing Nnaji could be tough, but they were able to get back a substantial amount of second round picks in return, so it seems that they made out of this trade okay.

Of course, the hypothesis that the Knicks would win this trade is based on the idea that Towns would stay healthy and be the dynamic player that he has sometimes been with the Timberwolves, although there are no guarantees that would happen. But a strong case could easily be made in Minnesota’s favor though, as they build out their depth and can easily get out from under Randle’s contract, or they can give him a new one in a few years. Charlotte benefited as well by adding another player and draft pick to their team.

All in all, those are my thoughts and first impressions on the Towns and Randle trade, as we await more to happen and for the upcoming NBA season to begin. Another interesting article is John Hollinger’s opinion piece from The New York Times via The Athletic, who made a solid case for Minnesota’s haul of the trade. Anyways, thanks for reading.