Grades For The Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
A few days ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle. It was a blockbuster trade. Let's look at the trade and how it will impact the future of the Knicks and Timberwolves.
Details of the Karl Anthony Towns Trade
New York Knicks Acquire
Karl-Anthony Towns
Draft Rights to James Nnaji
Minnesota Timberwolves Acquire
Julius Randle
Donte DiVincenzo
A Top 13 Protected 2025 1st Round Pick (Detroit Pistons)
Charlotte Hornets Acquire
2025 2nd Round Pick (Least Favorable of Philadelphia or Denver)
2026 2nd Round Pick (Golden State Warriors)
2031 2nd Round Pick (New York Knicks)
Duane Washington Jr.
Charlie Brown Jr.
DaQuan Jeffries
7.2 Million Dollars
New York Knicks Side
Everyone thought the Knicks were going all-in when they acquired Mikal Bridges. Well, New York is going deep as they acquire Karl Anthony Towns. Towns is an immediate upgrade on this team as he can play power forward immediately. It can't be ruled out that he will not ignore playing center as Mitchell Robinson has durability concerns, and the Knicks' depth at center is very mediocre.
Speaking of mediocre, Towns on defense is the literal definition of that, but the Knicks already have a strong perimeter defense that can help. Towns brings a tremendous benefit offensively as another strong shooting weapon and the Knicks arguably have the best offense in the league.
The big negative is losing DiVincenzo, as the core had great chemistry with him in his Villanova ties. At least they got an out with Julius Randle, who was pretty much a goner on this team the moment the Bridges deal happened. This is their best chance to have a deep run and maybe even get the number one seed in the conference.
As for getting James Nnaji's draft rights that's added value. It's not clear if Nnaji will even play with the organization or in the league with his injury issues and commitment to playing Internationally. Time will tell with Nnaji, but he is a solid prospect to have the draft rights.
Minnesota Timberwolves Side
The signs were there that a breakup was coming the moment the Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert. It was no longer if, but rather when the Timberwolves would move on from KAT.
Getting out of his gigantic contract is a positive and will help the team cap-wise, but the return is kind of disappointing. The one asset that was the most positive was Donte DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo is a nice get who would help pair with Anthony Edwards as a solid 3-point shooter and bolster the Timberwolves defensively.
Getting Julius Randle is weird because his fit is a tremendous question mark. Randle is a shaky shooter, and we don't know if he will be the same player coming off the shoulder injury. Randle isn't the greatest at creating space, and Edwards has complained about that previously.
The first-round pick isn't great value either. Yes, it is a pick that has the Detroit Pistons name attached, the problem is it is a heavily lottery-protected pick. If the pick doesn't transfer in 2027, then it reverts to a 2nd round pick. The Pistons are a dysfunctional franchise and with how poorly run they are its more likely that pick will turn into a 2nd round pick.
Charlotte Hornets Side
The only reason the Hornets are in this deal is for the financials to make the trade league approved. The only benefit for Charlotte is that they gain three 2nd round draft picks to hopefully help build this team in the future. Yes, Charlotte acquires DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown, and Duane Washington Jr., but they're likely going to be G Leaguers for the Greensboro Swarm.
A notable piece Charlotte moved in this deal is James Nnaji. Charlotte used the 31st pick in the 20233 NBA Draft on him. What an absolute waste of a draft choice, as Nnaji never even played a game in Charlotte. Nnaji is currently playing for Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB league and his back injury is a big concern for his long-term career.
At least they got some extra draft picks and 7.2 Million Dollars in cash just participating in the trade.
Final Grades On Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
New York Knicks: A
Minnesota Timberwolves: C Charlotte Hornets: B
The Knicks easily won the trade, as they got the bigger star and upgraded on offense a lot. The Timberwolves get the lower grade as they could have gotten a lot more for Towns and the only addition that was the most intriguing is DiVincenzo. The Hornets Don't lose, but they don't gain at the same time, excluding getting three lottery tickets (2nd round draft picks) in future drafts. Overall, this trade is not bad for each franchise, and hopefully, the trade works for every team involved.