What the KAT/Julius Randle Trade Means for the Knicks and Timberwolves
Photo Credit: SB Nation
Last Friday night, the Knicks and Timberwolves shocked the NBA with a blockbuster trade, with Minnesota sending star center Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in exchange for star forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo. Both teams believe that this move was necessary to improve their chances of success, but as the season unfolds, how different is each team projected to be from last season?
Knicks:
Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson, USA Today Sports
For New York, this trade evokes a similar bittersweet feeling as the two blockbuster deals that preceded it. Similarly to the reaction of losing up and coming guards RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, many Knicks fans voiced their displeasure with trading away Randle and DiVincenzo.
Randle, who had been with the team for five seasons before the trade, was the first or second option on offense throughout his entire tenure. He had even been named to multiple All-NBA teams and had three all star appearances, which underscores the importance of his offense to the team’s ability to win. Losing Randle also hurts New York’s overall playmaking, as Randle averaged five assists per game last season before injuring his shoulder in late January.
DiVincenzo on the other hand only managed to play a single season in New York, and although the scope of his impact was limited, he still managed to make the most of his brief stint. He broke the Knicks’ regular season record for three point makes with 283 last season, which was the third most in the league behind superstar guards Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. He did this while coming off of the bench 18 times, and added almost three assists per game to go along with solid perimeter defense. He also had multiple memorable playoff moments, including a lead changing three pointer during the team’s improbable comeback during Game 2 of their first round series against the 76ers.
Despite these losses, it’s very easy to see why New York was willing to make this trade. Towns clearly fits the Knicks’ need for a center, which was exacerbated by the recent news that Mitchell Robinson was going to be out until January with a fractured ankle. The depth behind Robinson was quite limited, as each of the team’s potential alternatives either had limited NBA experience or were noticeably undersized. Towns has neither of these issues, as he is a nine year veteran who is 7 feet tall and 245 pounds.
He also addresses some of New York’s biggest issues without Randle and DiVincenzo. Towns is regarded as one of the best three point shooting centers in basketball, as he averaged 41.6% on 5.3 attempts per game last season. He also has the advantage of being able to situate himself beyond the three point line, which opens up the paint to allow star point guard Jalen Brunson ample room to drive to the rim.
Furthermore, many other potential challenges could be addressed by increasing the roles of other players on the team. While Towns does have some passing ability, the majority of the playmaking lost from Randle should be picked up by Brunson and Bridges. Brunson only averaged 6.7 assists per game last season, and while his shooting prowess does provide a clear explanation for that, the addition of Towns should give him more chances to set up his teammates.
Bridges can also pick up some of this slack, and while his career high in assists per game is only 3.6, his key role on the offense should afford him with more favorable opportunities than he ever would have had in Brooklyn. Additionally, the loss of DiVincenzo’s perimeter defense can be offset by the increased role of guard Deuce McBride, who while undersized, has played excellent perimeter defense off of the bench in recent years.
Overall, the Knicks should still be projected as one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. While the loss of Randle’s offense and DiVincenzo’s shooting is fairly significant, New York’s depth should be strong enough to offset that, and the addition of Towns unlocks new aspects to their offense that otherwise wouldn’t have come to fruition. And as sad as it is to break up the ‘Nova Knicks’, the team still employs three players from that championship squad. Assuming that this move doesn’t create friction between the players and general manager Leon Rose, the resulting talent increase should be more than enough to view this trade as a win for the team.
Timberwolves:
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For most Minnesota fans, this trade came as an absolute shock. Towns was at times sensational last season, with multiple highlights such as scoring 62 points against the Hornets and playing strong defense on MVP center Nikola Jokic in the Timberwolves series win over the Nuggets during the Western Conference Semifinals. While he did have his fair share of ups and downs, the highs were frequent enough to indicate that the nine year veteran would remain in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
However, from an ownership perspective, this trade does make a solid amount of sense. Towns is in his first season of a four-year $220 million contract extension, which is a lot of money to be paying one player, even for a billionaire owner of an NBA franchise. This is especially apparent when taking into account the $40 million per year salaries of guard Anthony Edwards and center Rody Gobert. While losing a player of Towns’ caliber is always a major risk, keeping him also would have been risky, given the ever-increasing ages of Towns, Gobert and starting point guard Mike Conley.
As Towns heads to New York, Randle and DiVincenzo arrive to replace him, bringing with them their talent and readiness to make an immediate impact. Although Towns was the team’s second best scorer behind Edwards last season, Randle averaged over two points per game more than him, albeit on nearly three additional shots per game. While Randle’s scoring numbers are projected to fall in his new situation, that could come with the added benefit of being more efficient, although that is far from a guarantee.
One potential downside of this acquisition for the Timberwolves is with the possibility of a decrease in the team’s spacing on offense. Given Gobert’s lack of outside shooting, he typically spends the majority of his time near the basket, which, with the acquisition of Randle, can lead to congestion in the paint due to his frequent attacks of the rim. This is especially troubling given Edwards’ proclivity for driving to the hoop, which is a skill that he is one of the best at in the entire league.
However, that may not necessarily mean that the offense is going to be worse than last season. Randle is one of the best at scoring in one on one situations, which makes him a regular victim of double teams. In Minnesota, that alone should benefit Edwards significantly, as it allows him to see more favorable situations defensively. And if Randle isn’t seeing as many double teams, he can easily take advantage of them, which will take the pressure off of Edwards to score as much as he otherwise would have.
While Randle adds an advantage in overall scoring, DiVincenzo offsets the loss of Towns’ three point shooting abilities. He also helps to increase the depth of the team, as chances are he will probably start the season running the team’s bench lineup. Given his success starting on the Knicks last season in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, playing a role on the bench should lead DiVincenzo to be even more efficient. It also gives the Timberwolves way more flexibility in setting their lineups, and it allows them to give less minutes to their starters in the regular season, which helps protect against injuries.
Overall, while trading away a star center in their prime is rarely advisable, Minnesota was able to acquire enough talent in just the right places to theoretically keep them as a championship caliber squad. At the end of the day, this is still Anthony Edwards' team, and although Towns may be the most talented player in this deal, Randle and DiVincenzo arguably give Edwards the depth and financial support he needs to help the Timberwolves win their first ever championship.
