The New York Knickerbockers and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to trade Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.  There were other parts to the trade, and another team involved but these are the pieces that will matter for this season.  Before the trade I had the Knicks as by far the second-best team in the East.  Here is how I think this trade affects both teams. 

We will start with the Knicks as they are more pertinent to the Celtics.  When the Knicks traded RJ Barret and Immanuel Quickly to the Raptors for OG Anunobey last December, they balanced out their line up and put together a team that fit together really well.  Putting a team together isn’t just about amassing talent, the pieces have to fit together and the Knicks fix their incompatibility problems with this trade. When they were all healthy, they were a very good team that played hard and scrapped all game long but also had a lot of talent, especially in Randle and Jalen Brunson.  They were legit contenders in the East.  Luckily, they were seldom all healthy and Randle ended up suffering a season ending injury in January so the Celtics never had to deal with them.  They then picked up Mikal Bridges in the offseason giving them another dynamic wing to play along side Randle and Brunson putting them miles ahead of anyone who isn’t going to raise a banner on October 22^nd (coincidently while the Knicks look on).  They did lose the better of their two centers but in today’s NBA, that’s not a huge deal. 

Then they made this trade.  I’m not sure it makes them better.  Now, I give them credit for pulling off the big deal and going for it this offseason.  That’s to be commended.  I am just not sure the trade makes them better.  I will say this, Towns probably fits better with the rest of the Knicks roster than Randle does now.  Randle is the type of player who is at his best with the ball in his hands.  He can create his own offense, although, not particularly efficient.  Towns, on the other hand, is much more adept at playing without the ball in his hands.  Playing off of other players.  The Knicks want to run everything through Brunson.  Towns is probably better suited for this role. And with Bridges added to the line up, they have less need of a creator on the perimeter.  Also, Randle is more of a power forward while Towns is a center, a position the Knicks apparently thought they needed to fill. 

Where Randle has the advantage over Towns is in attitude.  I have always felt Randle was much more of a gamer, a fighter, than Towns.  Someone who plays with a lot of anger and force.  I have always felt Towns was not this type of guy.  Now, do the Knicks need this with Brunson being the Man in Blue and Orange?  Maybe not, but I rather have a warrior on my team than a side car. 

My biggest question with this move is that it turns Mitchell Robinson into a pure back up. Now, Robinson is going to be out until December or even January so it’s an issue until it’s an issue but when he does come back, I don’t see how he and Towns can play together for long periods of time.  I know KAT played with Gobert but I mean, Minny did just break them up.  And that was after a run to the West Finals.  I look at it from a Celtics point of view.  If they play KAT at the 4 that would mean he has to defend Jayson Tatum.  The Celtics will sign up for that right now.  Let me put it this way.  The Celtics played the Timberwolves twice last season and KAT fouled out of both games.  In the second game, Gobert didn’t even play.  KAT had a much better game but the Celtics prevailed in OT.  They lost the first game in OT.  Now, maybe coming off an injury, it’s better for Robinson to be just KAT’s back up this season.  Clearly this must be what New York is thinking.

Even with Robinson on the shelf, I feel like the Knick’s defense is going to take a hit with this move.  Randle is not the Reign Man or anything but he’s a lot more athletic than KAT is.  I have never feared Towns on the defensive end.  He’s just not mobile enough to be really good in today’s NBA.  This is why playing him at the 4 doesn’t really work.  I know the Celtics love making him try to cover Porzingis and Horford out on the perimeter.  They can just attack him the same way they do Embiid in pick n roll action.  Randle can hold his own out at the three-point line.  Again, not great but much better than the loafing Towns. 

Not to bail on a take here and take the easy way out but I feel this is a move that I have to see in action before I really know how it affects the Knicks.  Especially with Mikal Bridges being added to the team.  We really have no idea how these pieces will fit together.  To me they definitely have the second-best roster in the East now, but then I thought that before.  On opening night, we will get the first look at them on the court up close and personally. 

One last thing from the Knicks side.  Thibodeau was the head coach in Minny from 2016-19.  He was KAT’s coach.  There was a lot of talk that he did not like KAT.  My guess is it had to do with what I talked about him not being a real warrior type.  I have to believe the Knicks front office would have run this by Thibs before making such a big move and that he would have signed off on it.  Still, it’s something to keep an eye on. 

Now from the Timberwolves perspective, I feel Randle fits better next to Gobert than KAT did.  But as I mentioned, they did get to the West Finals last season and they beat the defending champs to get there.  If I were the Knicks, I would really want to know why Minny is OK with trading their best player for the last 9 years.  Back a few years ago it was rumored that KAT was the reason Jimmy Butler wanted out of Minny and ended up in Miami.  At some point, maybe KAT is the problem.  So, from that stand point, it could be addition by subtraction for Minny. 

As I was saying, on the court I like Randle next to Gobert much more than I like Towns.  I know Towns is a better three-point shooter than Randle but I feel like Randle is the more natural perimeter player.  Plus, Randle give them another guy who they can run the offense through.  Someone who can create their own shot.  You would think this will be a big improvement when Anthony Edwards goes to the bench.  (Quick aside, why isn’t Anthony Edwards nickname Goose?  If he was your teammate, you wouldn’t call him Goose?  I would call him Goose.)  Randle did just fine playing next to Robinson and Hartenstein so I see no reason why it won’t work with Gobert.  At least as well as anyone else.  I am not a huge fan of Gobert.  Plus, unlike with Towns, Randle gives them an option to go small when they want or need to. I know KAT shoots threes and all but Randle is a much more diverse player.  

The Timberwolves also got DiVincenzo in the deal.  He’s a really solid player and a good guy to have come off the bench.  He will definitely help them.  The more I think about it the more I like this trade for Minny. 

It’s surprising that two teams that were on the cusp of making a championship run would shake things up so much.  Is it taking the next step to becoming a championship team or is it pulling apart something that was working.  Much like the Lillard trade last off season, it’s going to be interesting to see how everyone works together and how the teams do.