It’s been nearly two years since the Timberwolves sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, and the return is looking thinner by the day. On Monday, Minnesota dumped Julius Randle — the centerpiece of that trade — onto the Brooklyn Nets in what amounts to a salary-clearing move. What’s left? Donte DiVincenzo, who’s likely to miss all of next season recovering from a torn Achilles he suffered in the playoffs.
So here’s where Minnesota stands. They traded away a franchise big man who just won a title in New York. They watched Towns be the second-best player on a championship team. And now they’ve flipped the guy they got back for him into nothing more than cap relief and a second-round pick. The math doesn’t get better the longer you sit with it.
The Knicks won the trade. It’s not close.
New York just finished a dominant playoff run with Towns as their starting center. He averaged 24 and 12 in the Finals. He was steady, he was healthy, and he was exactly what they needed. Meanwhile, Randle never quite fit in Minnesota. He had moments, sure, but the chemistry with Anthony Edwards never clicked the way the front office hoped. And now he’s in Brooklyn, a team that’s clearly rebuilding.
The Wolves did make back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, one with Towns and one with Randle. That’s real. But this past season they got bounced in the second round, and word around the league is Edwards is getting antsy. He’s watched his former teammate win it all. He’s seen the roster around him shift without clear direction. And he’s entering that phase of his career where patience starts to wear thin.
What comes next for Minnesota
The immediate plan seems obvious: move Naz Reid into the starting lineup next to Rudy Gobert. Reid’s been a Sixth Man of the Year candidate for two seasons running and he’s ready for more minutes. Gobert’s name has come up in trade rumors, but he’s still on the roster for now. If Reid starts, expect second-year big man Joan Beringer to grab more rotation minutes off the bench.
There was one bright spot. The Wolves re-signed Ayo Dosunmu, their own free agent who broke out during the playoffs. He gives them a steady guard who can defend and knock down open threes. Not a star, but a useful piece.
Look, the final judgment on the Towns trade isn’t written yet. It all depends on what else Minnesota can pull off and whether they can keep Edwards happy long enough to build something real around him. But right now? The optics are brutal. The Knicks have a ring. The Wolves have a point guard coming off a blown Achilles and a pile of questions.
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