Karl-Anthony Towns tweets around once a day. Sometimes, about the Philadelphia Eagles. He often speaks about social justice. Occasionally, he shares photos of his travels.
So when Towns sent out a cryptic tweet at 9:08 pm on Friday, fans immediately started speculating that the Minnesota Timberwolves had traded him.
Six minutes later, Shams Charania confirmed that the Wolves had traded him to the New York Knicks.
The trade reminds us that the NBA is a business. Towns spent all nine years of his career in Minnesota, earning four All-Star appearances. He became a social justice champion and a founding member of the NBA’s Social Justice Committee. On Wednesday, he was at the Target Center supporting the Lynx in their quest to add a fifth championship. Two days later, he’s heading to New York to play in the same city where the Lynx’s potential final opponent, the Liberty, calls home.
In return for Towns, the Wolves receive Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, and with those players come new expectations.
Randle is the focal point of the deal. He’s a 6’8″, 250 lbs. forward, entering his tenth professional season. After spending the previous five seasons in New York, the Wolves will be the fourth team he has played for. Randle has earned three All-Star appearances in the past four years and has been instrumental in the Knicks’ return to the playoffs.
His resume is impressive. He has been a consistent offensive force, averaging 19.1 points per game, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists over his career.
Randle has become known as an offensive bruiser with the Knicks. His size and footwork allow him to play in the post, where he drives and overpowers his matchups. Randle has shot over 30% from three in five of his past six seasons, including an impressive 41.1% in the 2020-21 season.
Randle’s fit with the Wolves is a bit of a conundrum. Theoretically, Randle has been at his best while playing in the post and creating his own shot or driving to the basket, as evidenced by 49.1% of his made baskets coming without an assist. Furthermore, 47.7% of his total attempts come from within eight feet of the basket, an area he shoots at an impressive 58.6%. Randle has also been an adept passer out of the post, averaging five assists per game over the past four seasons.
The issue with Randle’s strengths and the Wolves is that Rudy Gobert takes up much of the space where Randle thrives in the paint. Randle is an above-average three-point shooter, but the drop-off from Towns’ shooting 41.6% on 5.3 threes per game to Randle’s 31.1% on 5.3 threes per game. That means Randle misses roughly one more shot than Towns every two games. Randle’s favorite spot on the floor to set up and operate is the midrange area, where Anthony Edwards operates.
However, Randle should fit well with Naz Reid, a tremendous catch-and-shoot center. Randle could also mesh well with Mike Conley. Randle’s offensive game matches Conley’s former teammate, Zach Randolph, even though Randle is a significantly better shooter than Randolph.
Randle’s defense has been spotty throughout his career. However, we should note that he could see a big uptick playing next to Gobert, just as Towns saw last season. The Wolves may make more trades in the future, but as the roster currently stands, Randle could be an enigma until the season starts and fans can see him play.
DiVincenzo is much more of a sure thing for the Wolves. The sixth-year guard has playoff experience playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Knicks. He has carved out a role similar to Nickeil Alexander-Walker as a high-energy three-and-D player. DiVincenzo shot 40.1 from three last year, taking 8.7 per game, with 91.9% of his three-point makes coming off of an assist.
Last season, he was elite from the corners, shooting 51.9% from the right corner and 41.5% from the left. He also shot a near league average 38.1% from three’s above the break. Theoretically, that should complement Edwards’ slashing and passing the ball out when the defense collapses, similar to how Jalen Brunson fed DiVincenzo in New York. Envisioning DiVincenzo playing off the bench with Rob Dillingham next to Alexander-Walker follows a similar logic. They would provide great spot-up shooting in the corners for Dillingham to feed the ball to off of drives and pick-and-rolls.
DiVincenzo works hard defensively. However, he occasionally struggles to stay in front of quicker guards. However, playing next to Alexander-Walker in the second unit should allow him to guard lesser offensive players. DiVincenzo isn’t a bad defender. He posted plus-3.0 defensive win shares last season, and his 114.2 defensive rating last season was the worst of his career. Before last season, he had never had a defensive rating worse than 111.6. Playing next to Gobert should allow DiVincenzo’s rating to return closer to that 111.6 level, which would fall in line with the Wolves; outgoing Kyle Anderson‘s rating was 112.7.
From an accounting perspective, the trade also offers some flexibility moving into the future. Randle’s salary for the upcoming season is only $28.94 million. His contract will likely expire at the end of the season because Randle will probably decline his player option for 2025-26. DiVincenzo comes with a cap hit of only $11.45 million this season and is locked up through the 2026-27 season.
Randle and DiVincenzo’s combined salaries amount to only $40.39 million, compared to the $49.20 million Towns will make this season. The trade results in a meaningful difference, considering the penalties the NBA has imposed on second-apron tax teams. With Randle’s opportunity to leave in free agency, the Wolves could save even more and use that flexibility to re-sign their own players or attempt to sign free agents.
As hard as it is to see Towns traded to the Knicks, the Wolves get some hope in return. In Randle, they receive a 29-year-old, four-time All-Star with ample offensive ability, even if his fit is uncertain. With Divincenzo, they acquired an elite volume shooter who plays aggressive defense and should add depth and consistency to a second unit that will look to be much improved from last season. Minnesota’s additions will look to build on a trip to the Western Conference finals, which will hopefully be enough to propel the Wolves to a championship.
