Knicks go all-in with Karl-Anthony Towns, but are they really all that much better?

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the league’s best-shooting big men. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks decided one blockbuster move wasn’t enough during their offseason, and perhaps they had one Villanova player too many days before training camp opened.

And after all, what would the NBA be without a team attempting to shatter the Earth with a deal right before teams officially reconvene for the next season?

The Knicks are going all-in on June, acquiring All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. Outgoing, at least at the moment, appears to be Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick.

Randle is recovering from shoulder surgery after a nasty fall in late January, and Jalen Brunson took off in his absence, helping the Knicks to within a game of the Eastern Conference finals. He joins a team that went a step further in the Timberwolves, who made it to the Western Conference finals — making this a big move but not necessarily a needle-mover for either side, at first glance.

It looks like the Timberwolves, embroiled in an ownership battle between longtime owner Glen Taylor and the presumed group that includes baseball great Alex Rodriquez, are cutting costs with Towns beginning a $220 million extension he signed a couple years back.

That’s not the greatest sign for the future, considering the surprising run this franchise made in capturing attention across the basketball world as they pulled off a stunning upset of the Denver Nuggets in the second round, headlined by Anthony Edwards.

Towns seemed to nestle into a supporting role nicely after years of being cast as the franchise savior — but now he’ll head to the Knicks and back to his old position of center. The Knicks were searching for help when it was revealed Mitchell Robinson will miss time following left foot surgery, and they were already dealing with the defection of center Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency.

Towns can certainly go shot-for-shot with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, and the two have history, tussling in a…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-09-28 04:21:54

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