The blockbuster deal the Timberwolves and Knicks pulled off just before the start of this season is shaping up to go down as one of the clearer “win-win” trades in NBA history.
It wasn’t an easy decision for Tim Connelly and the Wolves to part with Karl-Anthony Towns, one of the greatest players in franchise history. But the main piece they got back, Julius Randle, has played some of the best basketball of his career lately and is a huge reason why Minnesota just made it back to the Western Conference Finals. They also landed Donte DiVincenzo — a key rotation player who is on a team-friendly contract for two more seasons — and a first-round pick (courtesy of the Pistons).
The Wolves would have no hesitations about doing the trade all over again. Neither would the Knicks, who blew out the Celtics on Friday night to reach their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. Towns, who was an All-Star starter this season, has been his usual, hyper-efficient self on offense while averaging a career-high in rebounds. He’s functioned as a perfect No. 2 to Jalen Brunson this season, much like Randle has with Anthony Edwards since returning from a February groin injury.
The two teams are now eight combined wins away from facing off in what would be a storybook NBA Finals. But even if one or both don’t make it to that stage, just getting to the league’s final four qualifies their season — and the trade — as a success.
“It’s really cool to see a trade that happens that you can rule it as a win-win for both sides,” DiVincenzo said earlier this week. “To look at the success that they’ve had throughout the season, individually and collectively — and same with us — it’s always a good feeling looking back on the trade, knowing that it was a win-win.”
Randle, during his five seasons in New York, helped turn the Knicks’ franchise around and set the stage for this year’s success. DiVincenzo was huge for them in last year’s playoffs, when they lost to the Pacers — the team they’ll see in this year’s ECF — in the second round. But Knicks president Leon Rose made the bold move to acquire Towns, believing he could help get them over the hump. And that’s exactly what happened.
On the other side of it, KAT deserves immense credit for everything he gave the Timberwolves during his nine seasons with the franchise. He was fully bought in to Minnesota, on and off the court, and stuck around during losing seasons and plenty of turmoil before helping the Wolves get to the WCF for the first time in 20 years last season. But Connelly thought the time was right to trade him, both for long-term financial reasons and with a belief that Randle and DiVincenzo could help the Wolves go even further this year. They’re four wins away from making that happen.
The story of the trade is still being written. But as this very moment, it’s impossible to call it anything other than a major win for both parties.
