September 30 ------ NEW York may have just pulled the trigger on a trade that could send the promising playoff squad over the top. According to reports by The Athletic and ESPN, the Knicks acquired four-time All-Star Karl Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves will be receiving a package centered around forward Julius Randle alongside Donte DiVincenzo and a future first round pick from the Pistons.
It was shocking to see the Wolves let Towns go, especially as he looked like a key piece in the future of Minnesota alongside superstar guard Anthony Edwards, but such is the business of basketball with both teams deciding to tweak their already-playoff ready roster in the hopes of breaking through. Towns, obviously, was left speechless after the trade. But he need not to fret especially since he looks like the missing piece for the Knicks who went the full seven games with the Indiana Pacers in the conference semifinals last year despite having no post threat with Randle missing the entirety of the postseason with a shoulder injury.
Towns averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. He’ll join a team led by Jalen Brunson and defensive minded forwards in Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby, while also reuniting with former Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau who he played for from 2016-19.
The Wolves, on the other hand, will be pairing a natural four to center Rudy Gobert with the addition of Randle while also getting the same type of versatile scoring they used to get from Towns. Before getting injured, Randle averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists but the question is if he'll be a Timberwolf for long as he's set to become a free agent after the season. Talks of home him heading home to join the Dallas Mavericks - the Wolves' conference rival - have surfaced as of late.
Perhaps the biggest snag for the Wolves is DiVincenzo, a two-way player who fits right into the team’s defensive philosophy while being a deadshot from downtown. DiVincenzo made 40.1 percent of his attempts from downtown last year while averaging eight shots a game. On paper, this looks like a win-win trade for two fledgling squads on the lookout for breakthroughs as the Knicks look to topple the mighty Boston Celtics while the Wolves are out to take the throne in the wild Western conference.
Source: spin.ph
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