Late Friday night, the New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade to acquire star center Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade seemingly came out of nowhere, especially on the Minnesota side of things.
The Knicks sent back big man Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo for Towns. But the acquisition of Towns was more about shoring up the frontcourt and getting a player that they had wanted for a while now.
Center Mitchell Robinson is expected to be out until at least December and the team already lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency. Their frontcourt depth was going to be tested and now it could be considered a strength.
Insider Ian Begley of SNY reported some of the details, including that DiVincenzo was one of the sticking points in the deal. According to Begley, DiVincenzo may have not been willing to take a smaller role this season after a career year.
“But with the moves made this offseason, DiVincenzo was probably going to be coming off the bench this season. Bridges would likely have taken his spot in the starting lineup. I can say confidently that DiVincenzo didn’t exactly love the idea of playing fewer minutes/a reduced role this season. He was coming off of a career year and helped the team win a ton of games when it was shorthanded. I don’t think any competitor would be thrilled with the idea of taking reduced role in this situation.”
Rather than deal with the potential drama, New York decided to ship him out to land a player that they feel can help them win big. Begley also said that New York had checked in with Minnesota multiple times but their reluctance to trade DiVincenzo held the deal up.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – MAY 22: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves reacts during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in Game One of the Western Conference Finals at Target Center on May 22, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Towns was traded to the Knicks on Friday.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
That all changed on Friday and the Knicks landed the big fish right before the start of the new season. New York can now move forward with Towns on the roster alongside Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart as their core pieces.
The Knicks still have one of the deepest teams in the entire NBA and they will be a problem in the Eastern Conference. New York is looking to take advantage of their window of contention and it seems that they will do whatever it takes to put themselves into the best possible place to find success.
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