In a massive twist, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded star center Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo . The trade also includes a future first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons . Adding to the twist, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic revealed that the trade was done to maximize Anthony Edwards long term.
Furthermore, this deal allowed Minnesota to shed Towns’ substantial four-year, $220.4 million extension. Randle has two years and nearly $60 million remaining on his contract, and DiVincenzo has a team-friendly four-year, $46.
8 million deal through 2027. This means the Timberwolves are positioning themselves to better shape the team around the future face of the league, Anthony Edwards . The Wolves made the deal to maximize Edwards’ window for the long haul, team sources told The Athletic.
The Wolves wanted to make sure Edwards could be on a competitive playoff team for much longer than just the next two years and believe the flexibility this move provides will aid that pursuit. Additionally, Krawczynski also noted that keeping Towns would likely have forced the Timberwolves to part ways with other valuable players, like Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid . Also, the Timberwolves faced the prospect of incurring significant luxury tax penalties if they retained Towns.
The Knicks have a strong roster, and KAT will likely help them get to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Timberwolves believe that last night's trade will .