The Knicks shocked everyone by pulling off a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo at the start of October, and that has transformed both teams.
Towns was coming off an up-and-down playoff performance and there was plenty of debate about how good he really was, but the trade at the time seemed like a win for the Knicks. Half a season later, New York can safely take a victory lap. They’re comfortably the No. 3 seed in the East, while the Wolves with DiVincenzo and Randle are looking destined for the Play-In Tournament.
Here’s how that trade has affected both teams, and what each gets in a regrade.
What did the Knicks trade for Karl-Anthony Towns?
Knicks receive:
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Draft rights to James Nnaji
Timberwolves receive:
- Julius Randle
- Donte DiVincenzo
- 2025 protected first-round draft pick (via Pistons)
Hornets receive:
- DaQuan Jeffries
- Charlie Brown
- Duane Washington Jr.
- Cash considerations (unspecified)
- Three second-round picks (one via Timberwolves, two via Knicks)
Original grades in the Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle trade
The instant reaction to the Towns trade leaned mostly in the Knicks’ favor, but there were several prominent voices that believed the Wolves got the better end of the deal.
ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave the Wolves a B+ and the Knicks a B, noting that “while [the Wolves] clearly benefit financially, they could end up a better team, too.” The Athletic’s Zach Harper gave the Knicks a B- and the Wolves a C+, writing that “I just don’t really like it for either team.”
Sporting News was much higher on the deal for the Knicks, originally giving them an A- and the Wolves a C-. New York received a higher grade mostly because of the potential for Towns to get even better in a more natural fit for him.
“Towns played mostly power forward for the Wolves last year, but he should be unstoppable as a center. He’s not a good defender, but the Knicks have elite perimeter defense around him to make it work,” we wrote back in October.
That prediction has come to fruition. After 42 games, Towns is shooting a blistering 54 percent from the field and 44 percent from 3. He has been as bad as advertised as a rim protector, but New York has still managed to be around average defensively. And that offense has been the third-best in NBA history, behind this year’s Cavs and last year’s Celtics.
Randle’s projected fit on the Wolves was much more worrisome. That has also borne out.
“Randle isn’t nearly the fit that Towns was on this Wolves team. He’s a career 33.3 percent shooter from deep who doesn’t match well with Rudy Gobert. How will Minnesota play those two non-shooters together? Things could get even tighter when another shaky shooter, Jaden McDaniels, is out there too. [Anthony] Edwards has already complained previously about a lack of spacing. DiVincenzo will help, but not as much as Randle hurts,” we wrote.
Edwards has indeed griped about the lack of space in the Wolves’ offense. And they’re ranked No. 16 on that end of the floor. Minnesota has taken a big step back from a Conference Finals appearance last season.
New Knicks grade in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade
The price that the Knicks paid in order to get Towns looks like a steal in retrospect. They sold high on Randle, survived the loss of DiVincenzo, and the draft picks (a 2025 first-round pick that will likely land in the middle of the draft, along with two second-rounders) were a pittance considering that other All-Stars routinely go for multiple first-rounders.
On that note, Towns is a lock to make his fifth All-Star appearance. He will likely be named a starter on Thursday. He’s playing like a modern-day Dirk Nowitzki and has been the best offensive center in the league not named Nikola Jokic.
Randle played his heart out for the Knicks, but this new version of their offense is much more potent without his low post scoring clogging up the paint. Jalen Brunson has room to breathe, and he can conserve his energy more with Towns, O.G. Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges all added to the team.
The Knicks do still need to solve their depth issue. They traded two rotation players for one, and Tom Thibodeau has rode his starters even harder as a result. That may cause problems later in the season and into the playoffs. But they clearly got a lot better because of the Towns addition, and they didn’t have to pay much in order to make those improvements.
New Knicks grade: A
New Wolves grade in the Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo trade
It’s unfair to pin the Wolves’ struggles completely on Randle. He’s had a decent offensive season, averaging 18.9 points per game on 47.2 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from 3. But he’s had a ton of uneven performances and shot the team out of several games.
Even if Minnesota wanted to move on from Randle, there are no teams where he makes much sense on his current $33 million contract. He will probably opt into the $30.9 million owed to him next season, so this problem isn’t going away for a while.
DiVincenzo hasn’t been quite as good as hoped for either. He has helped the Wolves shoot better, hitting 36.9 percent of his 3’s. But he’s averaging just 11.0 points per game this season off the bench. To make matters worse, he’s out indefinitely and expected to miss significant time with a toe injury.
Randle and DiVincenzo are partly responsible for the Wolves’ decline. But everyone outside of Edwards has regressed. Rudy Gobert is in the middle of a bad season, Mike Conley looks like he might be done, and McDaniels’ 3-point shooting has disappeared. Minnesota may have been struggling just as much had they stood pat.
This trade was always made more for the future in order to free up their books and allow them to retool around Edwards in a few seasons. The first-round pick that they receive will be a good one in a strong draft, and they will have much more flexibility to sign free agents in 2027.
It’s tough to prioritize several years in the future when the Wolves had a chance to roll with a very good team, but that is what is saving them from a failing grade in this trade.
New Wolves grade: D+
