Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images The blockbuster trade between the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks is not official yet.
The move, which will send Karl-Anthony Towns to New York in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo was reported on Friday.
However, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reported that the trade is “still on track but not completed yet.”
Randle may have found some reps at center, but now the Knicks will plug in Towns and see him produce from the paint.
The trade should help both teams when it does become official and the players will eventually get a chance to discuss the move.
via Getty Images; Jordan Johnson/NBAE.
Official word has not yet been given on the huge trade involving the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks.
The trade of Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns, who will go to New York, was announced on Friday. The trade is “still on track but not completed yet,” according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. ****.
Together with DaQuan Jeffries and “draft compensation,” the Detroit Pistons also sent a first-round pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Charlotte Hornets. “. .
Even though it’s not official yet, the trade should still go through and primarily affect the traded players’ media availability before training camp.
With the trade, the Knicks gained a substantial depth advantage at center. The 2024–25 season will see multiple months without starter Mitchell Robinson, and backup Isaiah Hartenstein left in free agency.
Although Randle managed to get some shots at center, the Knicks will now insert Towns and watch him create from the paint. He is a four-time All-Star who averaged 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 assists in 62 games for the Timberwolves in 2023–2024.
With Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, Randle could form a potent core in Minnesota and should play a big role in the team. In 46 games for the Knicks in 2023–24, he averaged 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.
When the deal is finalized, it should benefit both teams, and the players will have an opportunity to speak with each other about it later. It will just take a little while longer to resolve that, though.
