Former Timberwolves Karl-Anthony Towns - Jesse Johnson/Imagn Images
The “Big Center” is coming to the Big Apple. The New York Knicks shockingly make a big trade for Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
In return, the Timberwolves will receive Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a future draft pick.
All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
This transition was costly, but the big scorer could be a swing and a home run deal. Towns cap hit a monstrous price at $49.2 million in 2024-25.
He still has three years left on his current four-year deal, a $220 million contract, plus a player choice at $61 million when he turns 32.
On the flip side, Randle’s cap hit rolls back to $28.9 million this season, and his option is $30.9 million in 2025-26. Additionally, his contract expires in 2026-27.
The Knicks are taking a chance on a really talented player in a position that has been devalued in recent years.
But if you look at the teams that have made the playoffs or won a championship recently, they had huge centers that could score in the paint.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum
In the 2021 and 2024 NBA finals, these two centers proved that you still have to have them in our game despite it being a 3-point barrage now.
For example, Giannis Antetokounmpo became known in 2021 as one of the best bigs and players in the game.
During the regular season, Antetokounmpo used his 7’1″ frame to frighten other bigs in the paint and create mismatches. He finished that season averaging 28.1 points per game.
The real test came against the talented and skilled Phoenix Suns team in the NBA finals. They were full of sharpshooters, including Devin Booker, who could quickly knock down threes and score.
While it came down to a seven-game series, the Bucks decided to play old-time basketball and let Giannis play to his strengths down in the paint.
Booker played well enough to win the series, but it probably would not have been that close if they had tried to contain Giannis in the paint.
2024 NBA Finals
Let’s chart our way to the 2023-24 NBA finals. The Boston Celtics faced a Cinderella opponent in the Dallas Mavericks, whose motto was flying under the radar.
They, too, were led by their star big Luka Doncic, who offensively had the skill and talent to match up against Boston’s Tatum.
But the Celtics must have watched film on what Giannis did to the Suns in 2021 and decided to use their best big and play to their skills.
Tatum is more of a smaller big at 6’8″, but he can box you out and carve you in the paint like he’s 7’0″.
He plays bigger than his size, and even Doncic was a matchup nightmare defending him in the paint.
As a result, the Celtics won the NBA finals 4-1 and rewarded Tatum with a huge 5-year, $315 million contract extension.
Conclusion
So why did the Knicks take a swing for Towns? The Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals last year by playing physically with the bigs they had last year.
Nevertheless, the Knicks realized that if they wanted to make a title run and get by the Celtics, they needed to add another big who could score in the paint.
Plus, center Mitchell Robinson had a recovery issue from his offseason stress fracture surgery, which means he won’t play until December.
So the Knicks took it up a notch and added a player of Town’s caliber, like a mini Giannis.
