The Minnesota Timberwolves, who swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, have completed a massive trade with the New York Knicks less than a week before training camp.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!According to The Athletic‘s Shams Charania, Minnesota is sending Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons. Charania reports the Knicks are also “sending salary — including DaQuan Jeffries — and draft compensation to Charlotte.”
Knicks are sending salary — including DaQuan Jeffries — and draft compensation to Charlotte in three-team Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle deal, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski. https://t.co/dP4x8dTvr9
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 28, 2024
New York will now boast one of the best lineups in the NBA with Towns, who played really well in the first two rounds of the playoffs, averaging 19.3 points and 9.5 rebounds against Phoenix. He will reunite with his former coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached the Timberwolves from 2016-19, and play alongside the likes of Jalen Brunson, former Sun Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and others.
The Timberwolves could still be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, but this completely alters their structure after Towns had spent all nine of his NBA seasons in Minnesota since being selected No. 1 overall in 2015 and made four All-Star games. Randle is a three-time All-Star and DiVincenzo shot 40.1% from 3 last season.
Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and rookie Rob Dillingham highlight the rest of the core in Minnesota and could take on even larger roles next year.
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— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) September 28, 2024
This trade seems to be a lot about math for the Timberwolves, who had the second-highest payroll in the NBA next season behind Phoenix, while the Knicks get a massive upgrade at the center position as Mitchell Robinson recovers from offseason ankle surgery and is expected to be sidelined until December or January.
Towns is in year one of a four-year $220M super max extension that was signed in 2022.
He has a $49.3M cap hit this year.
Randle has $28.9M and $30.9M left on his contract.
He has a player option for next season.
DiVincenzo has 3 seasons left on his contract, with a $11.5M… https://t.co/DtcByOKnZt
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 28, 2024
The Western Conference will still be a gauntlet with the Oklahoma City Thunder only getting better with more experience and adding Isaiah Hartenstein after being the No. 1 seed last season, the Dallas Mavericks adding Klay Thompson, the Denver Nuggets still featuring three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, Phoenix signing Tyus Jones, the New Orleans Pelicans trading for Dejounte Murray, Chris Paul joining the San Antonio Spurs and several other teams remaining strong or adding rotation pieces.
Where do you think Minnesota stands in the Western Conference after this trade?
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
