Several times over the course of his nine seasons with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was the subject of speculation that he might want to force a trade because the franchise’s prospects were often lacking direction.
Stunner: Timberwolves send Karl-Anthony Towns to Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a first-rounder
Karl-Anthony Towns’ max contract starts this season, and the Wolves will have more flexibility money-wise in the short-term future.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 29, 2024 at 4:48AM
At every turn, Towns professed his loyalty to the Wolves, saying he was committed to building a winner in his adopted second home.
But ... the New York Knicks coveted Towns for years. His former agent, Leon Rose, runs the team. The Wolves’ former president, Gersson Rosas, is a part of the Knicks front office. New York has the kind of prolific scoring point guard in Jalen Brunson that Rosas once envisioned playing alongside Towns with the Wolves in D’Angelo Russell. And former Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau roams the Knicks sidelines and has turned them into Eastern Conference contenders.
The Wolves rebuffed the Knicks over the years.
This summer, it seemed the Wolves were more than content to run it back, despite a hefty luxury tax bill, a group that reached the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2004.
In recent days, however, the Knicks stepped up their offers, and finally the Wolves couldn’t say no. And now that the Wolves at long last have a contending team — the kind Towns could only dream of during the darker days of his tenure — they are parting with their four-time All-Star, sending him out near his original New Jersey home.
The Wolves and Knicks shocked the NBA world Friday night by agreeing to a deal to send Towns to New York in exchange for All-Star forward Julius Randle, guard Donte DiVincenzo, former Wolves forward Keita Bates-Diop and a protected first-round pick via Detroit. New York’s inclusion of DiVincenzo, whom the Wolves wanted to sign in 2023 free agency, along with the draft choice likely moved the needle for Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly to make the deal.
The Wolves open training camp with Monday’s media day at Target Center. Towns, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Kentucky, was back in Minnesota working out at the team’s facility in preparation for his 10th season.
The trade seemed to take him by surprise, as he posted “...” to the social media platform X just before the Athletic first reported the teams were in talks.
Mixed emotions
Because Towns’ contract — he starts a four-year, $220 million deal this season — was going to cause the Wolves salary cap problems, there were rumblings last season they would have to make a major move. But after the Wolves’ season ended with a loss to Dallas in five games in the Western Conference finals, Towns said unprompted that he had “hope” he would be back the following season.
“I’d love for the tenure to keep going,” said Towns, 28. “I’m just happy after all the years I’ve been here, all the ups and downs, to see the city come together so much for this team, it’s heartwarming for someone who has been here and has seen both sides.”
From their side, the Wolves saw an opportunity to extend a contending window that revolves around Anthony Edwards and a young core of players that includes Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, sources said.
Edwards ($42 million) and McDaniels ($23 million) have five-year extensions coming on the books that dwarf the salaries they made last season in the final year of their rookie deals. Reid, who’s making $14 million for 2024-25, has a player option after this season and can potentially make more than his salary this season.
The Wolves were on the hook for Towns’ supermax deal, giving them limited flexibility down the road. He is set to make $49 million this season. Rudy Gobert ($44 million) also has a player option after this season, with Connelly saying he hoped Gobert, 32, will retire in Minnesota. Randle has a player option after this season and will make $29 million, while DiVincenzo is signed for the next three years and will make $11.4 million this season.
Between the player options for Gobert, Randle and Reid, the Wolves have flexibility for who they might sign to longer-term, higher money deals, depending how this season plays out. The Wolves save about $9 million in salary, and more than that in luxury tax for this season.
A risky swap?
The first-round pick the Wolves get is top-13 protected in 2025, top-11 in 2026 and top-nine in 2027. It becomes a 2027 second rounder if it does not convert by then.
ESPN reported Charlotte will be a third team included in the deal to make it work for the teams financially, since the Knicks are taking on more money in the trade as currently constructed. That is not allowed for teams over the first apron of the luxury tax in under the collective bargaining agreement. The Hornets will likely receive draft compensation for helping the teams complete the deal.
The biggest question for the near term is what this trade does for the Wolves’ chances of contention. They were on the doorstep of the NBA Finals, and Towns provided the best one-on-one defense of any player last postseason on Denver center and three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. His physicality on Jokic allowed Gobert to roam the paint and helped the Wolves win a seven-game series against the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets.
There was a drumbeat from corners of the fanbase to deal Towns in the summer of 2023, but Connelly stuck to his conviction that the Wolves could be really good and kept his core group. They went almost this entire offseason with that same mentality until Friday night.
This wasn’t a deal the Wolves made in advance of a free agency window or a trade deadline, when talks are flying, but this was instead an opportunity they felt like they couldn’t pass up. And the Knicks needed help at center with Mitchell Robinson set to miss time early in the season following ankle surgery.
The hallmark of Towns’ game was his efficient offense; he averaged 21.8 points per game in 2023-24 while shooting 41.6% from three-point range. He earned his fourth All-Star appearance and is a two-time All-NBA player. The Wolves had only the NBA’s 17th best offensive efficiency last season, and taking his place in the starting lineup will be a player who wasn’t as efficient as he was.
New kids in town
Randle, who like Towns also spent his one season of college basketball at Kentucky, is a lightning rod for Knicks fans for his poor playoff performances, but he averaged 24 points per game on 47% shooting (31% from three-point range) last season. He will slot in at the power forward position. Wolves coach Chris Finch and Randle crossed paths when both were in New Orleans, as Randle played one season with the Pelicans.
The three-time All-Star, who will be 30 in November, suffered a dislocated shoulder in January and had surgery on it in April.
DiVincenzo, 27, played on two NCAA title teams at Villanova; the Knicks roster also includes three of his college teammates in Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Brunson. DiVincenzo is coming off his best NBA season; he averaged 15.5 points while shooting a career best 40% from three-point range. He started 63 games for the Knicks last season, but figures to come off the off the bench with Edwards and Mike Conley manning the Wolves backcourt. DiVincenzo should alleviate the pressure on No. 8 overall pick Rob Dillingham to contribute right away.
The 28-year-old Bates-Diop, who was dealt to New York along with Bridges from Brooklyn in July, returns to Minnesota, where he began his career after the team took him with the 48th overall pick out of Ohio State in 2018. The Wolves traded him to Denver in 2020. He spent three seasons with the Spurs before playing 53 games last season between the Suns and Nets, averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
The trade likely won’t be official for at least a few days, and the Wolves and Knicks play each other in the preseason on Oct. 13 in New York. There’s sure to be emotional moments ahead when Towns returns to Minnesota for the first time with his new team on Dec. 19.
The Wolves’ long-term future beyond this season wasn’t completely clear, especially given that controlling owner Glen Taylor and limited partners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore are headed to arbitration over the future of the franchise in November.
The Wolves figure to be an NBA title contender this season, but they became a much different team Friday night.
Despite so-so record, Wolves have improved at crunch time.
