The NBA landscape completely shifted late Friday night with the news from The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski that the Knicks would be acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota in a package centered around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
The Knicks were in need of a center upgrade after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and learning that Mitchell Robinson would not be ready to go until December or January at the earliest . They certainly checked off that box, acquiring a four-time All-Star in Towns and reuniting him with coach Tom Thibodeau.
Did New York give up too much? Can we make sense of why Minnesota would even do this deal? And why were the Hornets involved? Here’s why each team did what they did, and the grade they each deserve for their moves.
MORE: Why Knicks trading Donte DiVincenzo is a bigger gamble than it may seem
Karl-Anthony Towns trade details
Knicks receive:
- Karl-Anthony Towns
Timberwolves receive:
- Julius Randle
- Donte DiVincenzo
- Future first-round draft pick (via Pistons)