The new-look New York Knicks are looking to take a major leap from their 2023-24 finish, when they finished with the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed and a 50-32 record. Mounting injuries ultimately doomed New York to fall in a seven-game semifinal series to the healthier, lower-seeded Indiana Pacers.
Late last week, just days ahead of training camp, New York agreed to a deal to acquire four-time Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks flipped three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, two-way guard Donte DiVincenzo, combo forward Keita Bates-Diop, and a first-round pick to Minnesota.
New York is also expected to sign and trade wing DaQuan Jeffries and trade future draft capital to the Charlotte Hornets to accommodate Towns’ lofty $49.2 million salary for the season.
Read more: More Details Emerge on Why Knicks Made Blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
Terms of the agreement are still being finalized, so the deal is not yet official.
Ex-Brooklyn Nets All-Defensive Team swingman Mikal Bridges, added in another massive trade this summer, is excited about the addition of Towns, per Adam Zagoria of The New York Times. “I like KAT, man, I played against him for years,” Bridges said. “He can stretch the floor. You forget until you stand next to him just how tall he is. He’s tall as hell. Obviously a great player.”
Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves controls the ball against Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 1, 2024 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 112-106. Towns and Randle are now swapping teams.
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
In nine months, New York has taken some massive team-building swings, moving to acquire 3-and-D forward OG Anunoby during the 2023-24 season, and offloading major equity for Bridges and Towns in separate trades over the summer. The team also extended Anunoby, All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, and head coach Tom Thibodeau during the offseason.
New York is now projected to start Brunson at the point, Josh Hart at shooting guard, Bridges at small forward, the 6-foot-6 Anunoby at power forward, and Towns at center, with guards Cameron Payne and Miles McBride, forward Precious Achiuwa, and center Mitchell Robinson serving as potentially the Knicks’ top bench options.
Shooting guard Landry Shamet, currently on an Exhibit 9 training camp deal, could also be an intriguing reserve — should he make the team’s standard roster out of training camp.
Read more: Knicks Agree to Deal with Free Agent Sharpshooter
“I haven’t really processed it,” Brunson said of the Knicks’ three aggressive recent trades, per The New York Post’s James L. Edwards. “Yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I just know that we have a lot of guys who are hungry and willing to do whatever it takes. I would never consider myself (a face of the franchise). There are definitely people on the outside who can say it if they want, but I’m a leader of this team, I want to lead this team and I’m grateful of the opportunity. I don’t take this for granted.”
