Fantasy Impact: Knicks reportedly acquire Karl-Anthony Towns

With Mitchell Robinson (ankle) expected to be sidelined until December of January and Isaiah Hartenstein now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks were headed into training camp in a bad spot regarding post depth. That changed on Friday night, as it was reported that New York will acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves.

In exchange for the four-time All-Star, the Knicks are giving up Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round pick (via Detroit). Also, Charlotte will reportedly acquire DaQuan Jeffries and future draft picks from the Knicks. As was the case with last year’s Damian Lillard trade, this is a transaction that will have a significant impact on fantasy basketball.

Knicks acquire: Karl-Anthony Towns

There’s no denying that Towns has been a productive offensive weapon since entering the NBA in 2015, averaging 20.8 points or more in each of the last eight seasons. In 62 games last season, he accounted for 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.2 3-pointers in 32.7 minutes, shooting 50.4% from the field and 87.3% from the foul line. That per-game production placed Towns just outside the top 40 in 9-cat value and just inside that threshold in 8-cat. Regarding totals, KAT finished outside the top 50 due to availability.

Moving to New York should remove the glass ceiling from Towns’ fantasy value after sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert for the last two seasons. Before that trade, KAT provided 1st-round per-game value in 9-cat formats for seven straight years. Look for him to return to that production level, with availability being the lingering concern. Over the past five seasons, Towns has surpassed 50 games twice: 2021-22 (74) and 2023-24 (62). It is imperative that he stay healthy for fantasy reasons and to ensure the Knicks remain on track in their quest to sit among the elite in the Eastern Conference.

As for who else this impacts from a fantasy standpoint, Robinson’s already low value takes a significant hit. Despite Towns’ recent injury history, there isn’t much to be gained from stashing MitchRob, given his health issues….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy-impact-knicks-reportedly-acquire-032052712.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-28 03:20:52

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