The Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing a deal with the New York Knicks that would send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple for a package including Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, according to The Athletic. The Timberwolves would also receive a protected first-round pick from the Knicks that originally belonged to the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks reportedly sending salary, including DaQuan Jeffries, to the Charlotte Hornets in order to complete the trade and abide by restrictions created from the respective luxury tax aprons impacting New York and Minnesota.
When finalized, this blockbuster will mark the second major acquisition for New York this offseason after its mega deal bringing in Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets in June.
The Knicks lost starting center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, and their expected starting center before the Towns acquisition, Mitchell Robinson, will miss the beginning of the season due to injury.
With Towns, the Knicks have found a franchise center; however, he's a distinctly different player Robinson and previously Hartenstein as they operate primarily around the basket. Towns is arguably the best big-man shooter in NBA history, and he will create an entirely new dimension for New York offensively.
The Timberwolves are coming off of their best season in franchise history. Towns was an integral part of their second-round upset of the defending champion Denver Nuggets, but he is also early in a super max contract that would have grown prohibitive for Minnesota over time. With Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels both starting hefty new contracts this season, the Timberwolves seemingly decided they needed to move quickly on a deal.
In acquiring Randle, they have effectively turned a $50 million offense-first center into a $30 million offense-first center while added one of the NBA's best shooters in DiVincenzo. Sacrificing Towns' shooting at power forward will sting, but his offensive value was muted playing next to another big man in Rudy Gobert. Randle's secondary creation will go a long way for Minnesota, especially with the bench lineups that struggled when Edwards rested last season.
Towns had been a rumored Knicks target for some time. He is represented by Jessica Holtz of CAA. Knicks president Leon Rose was notably the ormer head of CAA's basketball division, and the Knicks have long fostered a reputation for acquiring CAA clients. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby are all represented by CAA.
Blockbuster trades are rare in September, and the restrictions introduced by the new CBA pushed the odds even further against a deal of this magnitude. However, the NBA rarely disappoints when it comes to offseason surprises, and it just gave us a big one with perhaps the most significant move of the offseason coming months after the free agency dust settled.