The New York Knicks decided that one blockbuster move wasn’t enough during their offseason, and they may have had one extra Villanova player many days before training camp opened.
And after all, what would the NBA be without a team trying to destroy the Earth with a deal right before the teams officially reunite for next season?
The Knicks will go all out in June, acquiring All-Star star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. The exits, at least for the moment, appear to be Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick.
Randle is recovering from shoulder surgery after a bad fall in late January, and Jalen Brunson has taken off in his absence, helping the Knicks get within one game of the Eastern Conference finals. He joins a team that went a step further with the Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference finals, making it a great move, but not necessarily a decisive move for either side, at first glance.
It appears the Timberwolves, embroiled in an ownership battle between former owner Glen Taylor and the alleged group that includes baseball great Alex Rodriguez, are cutting costs with Towns beginning a $220 million extension he signed a couple of years ago.
That’s not the best sign for the future, considering the surprising run this franchise made to capture attention across the basketball world when they pulled off a stunning upset over the Denver Nuggets in the second round, led by Anthony Edwards.
Towns seemed to adjust nicely to a supporting role after years of being cast as the franchise’s savior, but now he’ll head to the Knicks and return to his old center position. The Knicks were looking for help when it was revealed that Mitchell Robinson will miss time following surgery on his left foot, and they were already dealing with the defection of center Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.
Towns can certainly go shot-for-shot with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and the two have history, fighting in a wrestling match in Philadelphia a few years ago. And Towns has history with Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks coach who is firmly entrenched in the franchise, and top decision-maker Leon Rose.
Thibodeau demands defensive responsibility and has the wing pieces to make the Knicks even more dynamic than last season, assuming OG Anunoby can stay healthy with Mikal Bridges joining from the Brooklyn Nets. When one takes Josh Hart into account, the versatility is evident and perhaps the idea is that the staff can make up for Towns’ deficiencies on the defensive end, noting his improvement with the Timberwolves as they ascended to elite status in the West during the last year.
But the big improvement, of course, is Towns’ skills on the offensive end. Randle was tough as a primary ball handler, unafraid to make contact on offense and largely durable as a Knick until last season’s setback.
Randle is a capable scorer and can give the Timberwolves some play alongside Edwards, but he’s not as efficient or dangerous as Towns on that end. Towns probably fits best next to Brunson, as he can create space for the wings with his shooting. He was nearly 42% from 3 last year, a great safety valve for Edwards and point guard Mike Conley.
The Knicks were at their best last year with Hartenstein, Randle and Anunoby during their very short time together, until Randle’s season-ending injury on Jan. 27. They dominated the glass and defeated teams their size and all three have the ability to make plays in front of the basket.
That element of the Knicks’ identity is gone, and DiVincenzo was a big part of that, too, creating the fun “Nova Knicks” story with so many Villanova players on the roster.
But that has become something more, as the Knicks are no longer playing just to be the playoff crashers. There are real expectations now, and the Celtics showed that they were by far the best team in the conference, and it will take real personnel moves to compete with them, much less catch the champions.
One of them is getting Bridges, who can guard three positions, if not four, while also being an efficient scorer. It seems like the Knicks think Towns is the other one, but you have to squint really hard to see the Knicks emerging on top of a crowded and competitive conference.
It feels a little strange when one considers Randle. He might not have been a better fit for this roster as he needed a natural center and would have been playing out of position and facing the prospect of taking on a lesser role with roster changes.
But two days ago, he was alongside many Knicks dignitaries at the dedication of a court named after him in the Bronx, at the Earl Monroe Renaissance Basketball School. Joining Randle in this dedication was Thibodeau, and even if this trade were to happen quickly as training camp begins for all teams next week, there could be some hurt feelings as Randle helped turn around the Knicks with his signing in 2019.
But this is big business in the NBA, big bold business, and Randle and DiVincenzo look like victims of the Knicks’ big dreams. The franchise has emerged from obscurity after years of irrelevance, but must now come to terms with the burden of true expectations, even if it doesn’t feel like they’ve truly improved their lot in this ever-changing life of the NBA.