Late Friday night, less than a week before most NBA media days and training camps open, the association was shaken as two championship hopefuls made a blockbuster deal. After nine years together, the Minnesota Timberwolves decided the time was right to move All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for another All-NBA player, Julius Randle, role player Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick.
From the Knicks' perspective, I understand it. Randle's potential fit with the team was one of the bigger questions heading into this season for New York, and after losing center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, they simply could not rely on Mitchell Robinson, due to his health concerns, to be their big man come the postseason if the goal is to win a championship.
By bringing in Towns, New York addressed most of their concerns. Not only did they move Randle to erase any questions about his fit, but they were also able to bring in size and spacing with Towns, who has an argument as the greatest three-point-shooting big man in NBA history. With Mikal Bridges, O.G. Anunoby, and Josh Hart being plus defenders, they can help cover for Towns' weaknesses on the defensive end.
By shipping out DiVincenzo, it’s sad to see New York give up on the "Nova Knicks" concept before it ever got started, but it does show that the Knicks are all-in after a busy summer and are now one of the league's top contenders for the title going into this season.
When discussing the Timberwolves' side of this deal, not only do I hate it for this upcoming season, but I could also see it having major long-term ramifications for Minnesota. I can somewhat understand moving Towns based on his contract, but I just don’t understand why they didn’t go for a deal that made more sense.
Bringing in Randle clogs up the paint even more for their star player, Anthony Edwards, whose game is defined by how good he is at attacking the rim. I don’t know why they’re making his job more difficult. Why didn’t they try to pursue a deal earlier in the summer for someone like Dejounte Murray, who could help take some pressure off Edwards on the offensive end? Even a trade bringing in Brandon Ingram makes more sense than this, in my opinion.
By getting back what they did in return for Towns, and with their current roster, I think the Timberwolves' championship hopes for this upcoming season have dropped. With how expensive this team will be for the foreseeable future, I don’t see a clear pathway for how they dramatically improve, aside from the development of Edwards around his older core.
If that’s the case and they struggle to make this team better, I wouldn’t be shocked if this Towns deal ends up being the second domino in the eventual departure of Anthony Edwards.
After the Paris Olympics this summer, former NBA analyst and now podcaster Bill Simmons stated that he wouldn’t be shocked if Anthony Edwards ended up in Miami one day, citing Edwards’ connection with Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo and head coach Erik Spoelstra, who were both part of the Olympic coaching staff.
"Anthony Edwards really loves Bam Adebayo and Erik Spoelstra. He loved his experience with them... Don't be surprised... Story drop. Am I dropping it now?" Simmons said on the August 6th episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.
Team USA's Olympic roster has often served as a gateway to eventual NBA team-ups for quite some time. The 2008 Olympics led to the formation of the Miami Big 3 in 2010. In 2012, LeBron James and Kevin Love developed a connection, which eventually brought them together in Cleveland in 2014. In 2016, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant got their first taste of playing together, which later led to their pairing to Brooklyn in 2019. Then, in 2021, Durant teamed up with Suns guard Devin Booker during the Olympics, which paved the way for Durant's eventual to trade from the Nets to Phoenix in 2023.
Given Edwards' age and, in my opinion, the now bleak future for the Timberwolves, I think it's time to start asking if Ant will eventually follow suit and seek an opportunity elsewhere at winning a championship. Even if it doesn’t happen soon, I think we could see him wearing another team’s jersey in the future, specifically, the Miami Heat's before the next Olympic Games in 2028.
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