With it being football season there has not been much happening around the world of basketball or the the NBA at all in general. However, that changed late Friday night. A surpisng trade took place between the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and a 3rd team. The Timberwolves sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Donte Divincenzo and Julius Randle. In this blog I will discuss how this affects both teams, preview roster, and give grades for each team in the trade.
Minnesota Timberwolves:
I do not think anybody was suspecting a trade like this. Minnesota was and is still in a good spot to make a run in the Western Conference. Some reaction that i have seen is negative in saying that they did not get enough from the Knicks. Others are asking why not send Rudy Gobert? The guy who can become a liability in the playoffs due to the diverse bigs in the west that can shoot and move well. It can be a puzzling trade when you look at it at the T-Wolves side. However, you were going to have to pay Naz Reid this year. Who fits more of a KAT role then Rudy Gobert. Donte Divincenzo is the main get for the T-Wolves in my opinion. This is a team who went out and got Terrence Shannon Jr. and Robert Dillingham in the NBA draft who are both shot creators but are not catch and shoot guys. Divincenzo shot 43% from the 3 in the playoffs where I think the T-Wolves may have struggled this year. With Randle's injury bug, It will be interesting to see how the T-Wolves manage him and how this rotation looks.
T-Wolves Rotation
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Conley | Anthony Edwards | Jaden McDaniels | Julius Randle/Naz Reid | Rudy Gobert |
| Robert Dillingham | Donte Divincenzo | Terrence Shannon Jr. | Joe Ingles/Naz Reid | Naz Reid/Luka Garza |
I can see why the T-Wolves thought it may have been a good time to move on from KAT, but the question is does Donte Divincenzo and Julius Randle out weight KAT? I don't think so. I think you lost more then you got here. The only area I see improvement in is catch and shoot. Randle does not bring anything KAT didn't have. You lose another versatile big that can play PF and C. With someone who is just as injury proned as KAT, I don't fully understand why the Wolves did what they did.
T-Wolves Grade: B-
New York Knicks:
The Knicks are coming off a very successful season making the Eastern Conference semis. With the east only getting better, it was a good time for a blockbuster trade. They give up some depth with Randle and Divincenzo, however you also get an all star in KAT. The was a must in my opinion for the Knicks. With Hartenstein deciding to move on and all of the elite bigs in the East that can shoot and move (Porzingas, Embiid, Turner, Bam...). This trade could cement the Knicks as one of if not the best starting 5 in the NBA. The East may take over the aging West as the better league in the NBA.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalen Brunson | Mikal Bridges | Josh Hart | OG Anonoby | Karl-Anthony Towns |
| Miles McBride | Tyler Kolek | Landry Shamet | Jericho Sims | Precious Achiuwa |
I think the thing that people are making the biggest deal out of the lost of depth for the Knicks. However, Thibodeau is famous for not playing a lot of guys. However, that may change this year especially with all of the injuries at the end of the playoffs. At the end of the day though, you gain a top 10 PF or a big that can stretch into a Center is a small ball lineup, I think that the versatility for the Knicks is what wins them this trade and makes them an even bigger championship contender.
Add comment
Comments