Headline: The New York Knicks finessed the Minnesota Timberwolves

Deck: Karl-Anthony Towns is exactly what the Knicks needed to complete the team

Byline: Abhinav Kodali, Senior Staff Writer

The Knicks had a major problem to solve in the upcoming year: their center position, or rather their lack of. With Isaiah Hartenstein leaving in free agency, New York had a clear gap in an otherwise complete team. This was only furthered by Mitchell Robinson’s injuries and surgeries declaring him out until, at best, December. 

Without a center to play, Tom Thibodeau had to consider playing Julius Randle down at the five and running an undersized lineup. This simply wouldn’t have worked out for long, and the Knicks had to try to acquire a center in the league at some point.

Yet this wasn’t the only issue that the Knicks had to address. Julius Randle wasn’t a good fit alongside Jalen Brunson. The three-time All-Star needs the ball in his hands to succeed, which was something that he couldn’t get on the current Knicks team. Though he helped build the team and culture that Brunson and the rest of the roster have taken on, there has been a pretty strong argument against his fit on the team.

New York solved both of these problems with one trade. Karl-Anthony Towns not only fills the Knicks’ center position, but he also provides an opportunity to be played at the power-forward if necessary, a rare trait among centers. This is a very important trait in a team that’s still looking at Mitchell Robinson returning in the future and allows them to run a variety of lineups. KAT’s fit on the Knicks is cleaner than Randle’s by a wide margin.

In addition, while his defense leaves much to be desired, Towns is the best shooter to play the center position in the league. Having that caliber of shooter at the five changes a lot for the team. The Knicks are better suited to capitalize on his talents than the Timberwolves ever could, making KAT a great pick up.

It does hurt them to lose Donte DiVincenzo in the trade. Miles McBride is now the sixth man for New York, but he’s earned the right to this role. Losing a first-round draft pick, especially from the Pistons, also stings. Considering the trade for Mikal Bridges, the Knicks are mostly out of tradable draft capital. While this trade is a big risk, NYK’s chances as a championship contender have drastically improved.

Though they’re an expensive team and people will take issue with Karl-Anthony Towns’ huge contract, this trade was an overall incredible deal for the New York Knicks. They will most likely be running a powerful starting lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and KAT.

Headline: The Timberwolves ruin the Knicks’ perfect summer

Deck: Moving on from a huge contract and maintaining asset control was the right move

Byline: Yash Parikh, Senior Staff Writer

Four years, 220 million dollars. That’s how much Karl-Anthony Towns will cost the New York Knicks over the next few years. Yes, the Wolves made the conference finals last year, and yes, Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best big man shooters of all time. There was no doubt that the vibes were high in Minnesota. If they continued paying for everybody, the morale would remain high. However, within the next two or three years they’d have to relinquish KAT and another player. It was a great trade by Minnesota. 

The first thing to point out: everybody is sleeping on the value Minnesota got in the deal. First of all, they got Julius Randle, a bruising power forward who fits with the Wolves tough identity. Then, they acquired Donte DiVincenzo, a rangy sharpshooter who provides some much needed floor spacing for the Wolves. Finally, they pocketed a first-round pick from Detroit, the worst team in the NBA. All of this was gained for a playoff choker who calls himself “Big Purr”.

Minnesota was going to run into some issues sooner or later. KAT was the odd man out. His fit with Rudy Gobert was iffy and Randle fits much better as a true power forward. On top of that, as stated, the salary would come back to bite ownership sooner or later. The Wolves made a smart, logical decision that will help them contend for a championship next year.

On the other hand, the Knicks made a brash decision that didn’t solve their problems. They needed a center, no doubt about that. After acquiring Mikal Bridges this summer, a strong, defensive bruiser was necessary. They got quite the opposite. The last time KAT played defense was possibly over 10 years ago, and he is not bruising anybody. In fact, his fit with the Knicks is even worse than the Wolves because he isn’t a screen-setting center.

The Knicks needed someone to set picks for Jalen Brunson, who could then get the ball to their shooters. They lost one of the best pick-setting power forwards in the league and one of the best shooters in the league for Towns and his soft shooting touch. On the other hand, the Wolves opened up opportunities for young players such as Rob Dillingham and whoever else they select with the Detroit pick to run alongside shooters and bruisers in the second unit.

Any contending NBA team needs a solid bench, and the Knicks just gave up some key pieces of depth that they needed to win. The Wolves, on the other hand, bolstered both their frontline and their reserves. Call me crazy, but this is a win for the Minnesota Timberwolves.