And now we know how the New York Knicks intend to address the departure of their starting center in free agency this summer.
Late Friday evening, four-time All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns posted this cryptic missive on his official X account:
Six minutes later, the inspiration behind that post was seemingly revealed, when it was reported that the 7-foot Kentucky product was being shipped to the Knicks, where he’ll rejoin former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Read more: Knicks Trading for Karl-Anthony Towns in Shocking Blockbuster Deal
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According to Shams Charania, Mark Puleo, and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Towns’ $49.2 million salary is being shipped out to the Timberwolves in exchange for All-Star power forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round draft pick via the Detroit Pistons.
Towns, a floor-spacing big man, was shifted to a power forward role for the first time in his career when then-new Minnesota team president Tim Connelly opted to trade for defense-first rim protector Rudy Gobert in the summer of 2022. Towns missed all but 29 games in 2022-23, and the Timberwolves finished with a disappointing 42-40 record during their first season with both big men rostered.
But things turned around in 2023-24.
Minnesota submitted its best season in 20 years, finishing with a stellar 56-26 overall record and the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed. The Timberwolves swept the star-studded Phoenix Suns in the first round, toppled the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in an up-and-down semifinal series, before quickly being grounded by the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game Western Conference Finals matchup.
Gobert’s limitations switching to the perimeter, and Towns’ issues defending anywhere, were exposed both in their individual matchups against Dallas’ springier bigs — and their team assignments against All-Star guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving whenever they broke into the paint.
Towns averaged 21.8 points on .504/.416/.873 shooting splits, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 blocks, and 0.7 steals a night across 62 healthy games last year.
The Timberwolves clearly concluded that their pairing of two centers — albeit very different players — was not going to take them to the promised land in a crowded Western Conference, even with the emergence of All-NBA shooting guard Anthony Edwards, the steady leadership of former All-Star point guard Mike Conley, the All-Defensive prowess of small forward Jaden McDaniels, or the versatility of Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid bolstering that not-always-dynamic frontcourt duo.
In Randle, Minnesota will add another supplemental ball handler who’s more of a natural power forward, and can thrive as a secondary option along a ball-dominant playmaker, in this case Edwards. Randle has been a bit of an injury question mark of late, and was not the 3-point marksman Towns was last year, but clearly Minnesota is confident he can return to his All-NBA prime. DiVincenzo is a talented, versatile wing who will help bolster the club’s lineup optionality.
The Knicks’ side of the move is a bit more questionable. New York, who finished with a 50-32 record and the East’s No. 2 seed before falling in the second round of the East playoffs last spring, lost starting center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and seemed poised to promote his always-injured backup, Mitchell Robinson, to a starting five role.
Read more: Thunder Sign Isaiah Hartension to Massive Free Agent Deal
Now, the Knicks will be adding Towns, a dynamic shooter and good passer for his position, yes, but an erratic playoff performer who could cost them defensively. Will the team’s cadre of switchy wings be enough to compensate for his defensive shortcomings? Time will tell.
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