Julius Randle

Timberwolves Notes: DiVincenzo, Towns, Randle

October 14th, 2024 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo had a brief verbal altercation with Knicks assistant Rick Brunson in his return to New York on Sunday, as Chris Herring of ESPN and James L. Edwards III and Jon Krawczynski of the Athletic write. DiVincenzo and Brunson exchanged words after the game when players and coaches were shaking hands before exiting the court, but the former Knick downplayed the incident when speaking to reporters later.

“Just some words. I don’t fully know what was said. A lot of people there,” DiVincenzo said, per The Athletic. “But I really have no comment on the situation. We’re both grown men and can talk about it privately.”

“Two people talking,” Rick’s son Jalen Brunson said. “Words of affirmation.”

DiVincenzo was caught on camera in the first quarter talking to the Knicks’ bench before he attempted a free throw (Twitter video link). He explained to reporters after the game that he was sharing an inside joke with Thibodeau, though league sources tell The Athletic that some of his comments were directed to the elder Brunson. At one point, DiVincenzo appeared to say, “That’s what happens when they let you run the show.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

DiVincenzo has “quickly become a favorite within the Timberwolves organization,” tweets Krawczynski, adding that the team loves both his skill set and mentality. Anthony Edwards expressed that sentiment during his post-game media session on Sunday, per Herring. “He makes all the right plays and shoots the cover off the ball,” Edwards said of his new teammate. “New York is definitely going to miss him.”
In a feature story for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III takes a look at DiVincenzo’s journey from a scout team decoy at Villanova to a Final Four star to one of the NBA’s most coveted role players.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said there were “a lot of emotions” on Sunday reuniting with former Timberwolves teammates who were like “brothers” during his tenure in Minnesota, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required). Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch had nothing but praise for his former star big man, acknowledging that it would take a while to get used to seeing Towns in a different uniform. “It’s like a death in the family in some ways,” Finch said. “You got to make it through that first year, and everything is going to be a little odd.”
In his Sunday return to New York, new Timberwolves forward Julius Randle wasn’t looking to dwell on or reminisce about his Knicks tenure, telling reporters that he has “unfinished business” to focus on in Minnesota, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. Randle also expressed enthusiasm about Finch giving him more play-making responsibilities this season. “I’m excited to be able to show that,” the veteran forward said. “Not just from the post, getting double-teamed. Finch is moving me all over the floor, allowing me to be able show that stuff. I’m excited about that.”

Knicks Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Backup Centers, Kolek

October 13th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

It has only been 11 days since the trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota was finalized, but they’ll return to Madison Square Garden this evening when the Knicks host the Timberwolves, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. While Randle isn’t expected to play as he continues to rehabilitate his right shoulder following surgery, fans will have a chance to welcome back DiVincenzo, who had a major role in last season’s success.

“Both him and Julius contributed so much to the organization, to the team,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So there’s great appreciation for them and what they did. So it’s part of our league and we certainly wish them well. I’ve got great respect for them. I know their teammates do. I know the organization does. I think our fans do as well. They were a big part of the winning.”

For most of the summer, it looked like Mikal Bridges was going to be the Knicks’ major offseason acquisition, adding another versatile forward to a roster that seemed ready to compete for an NBA title. That changed in late September when the opportunity arose to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.

“I think the whole thing was quick and kind of unusual,” Josh Hart said. “A trade three days before training camp started, so that was already kind of weird because that weekend you’re kind of gearing up for training camp that upcoming Monday. So that was unusual and then obviously we’ve got to play them on Sunday. It’s a little unusual, but the NBA’s a crazy business.”

There’s more from New York City:

Since camp opened, the Knicks have been more focused on blocking outside distractions than talking about competing for a championship, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “As much as we want to jump back into Game of 7 [of the Eastern Conference semifinals] last year and proceed to where we went, we have to start the journey all over,” Jalen Brunson said. “… Regardless of what people say, whether it’s positive or negative, we have to have mental toughness and just worry about what’s going on inside of this building, inside this organization.”
Thibodeau won’t have a regular backup for Towns when the season opens, Braziller adds. Jericho Sims, Ariel Hukporti and Precious Achiuwa may all see time in that role, and OG Anunoby could be used as a center in small-ball lineups. “Jericho’s athleticism is very different from most,” Thibodeau said. “Ariel is a young guy coming in, there’s a defensive component to him already. But he has to learn the offensive part of the game, and that’s coming. But both are very good.”
Second-round pick Tyler Kolek is averaging 13 points, three assists and two steals through his first two preseason games and he may be in contention for playing time as the season wears on, Braziller states in a separate story. “I’m still figuring it out, finding my pace,” Kolek said. “Maybe in practice I haven’t been as aggressive looking at the basket. So it’s been kind of intentional in these games to get those looks because then it opens up everything else with my passing.”

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Strawther, Braun, Walker, Avdija, George

October 11th, 2024 at 11:17am CST by Tristan Tucker

The Timberwolves are taking a risk by completely changing their roster makeup in the aftermath of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. However, AthlonSports’ Mark Medina reports that the coaching staff and players are all feeling optimistic about the change.

“There will be a pretty big learning curve,” head coach Chris Finch said. “I’m pretty confident that there are going to be rough edges that we want to smooth out.”

Minnesota reportedly coveted Donte DiVincenzo for a while, and he’ll address any spacing questions after a career year with the Knicks. Julius Randle‘s fit is a bit more interesting, as all indications point toward the Wolves leaning on Naz Reid more. It will be fascinating to see who winds up getting minutes in the closing lineup.

“I see us fitting together extremely well,” Randle said. “If you look at my career and the places that I’ve been and the things that I’ve done. I think the biggest thing I pride myself on is adaptability.”

According to Medina, Finch plans to grant Randle more play-making responsibility this season.

“My only thing is I want to help in any way needed. There’s a tremendous amount of talent here,” Randle said. “Finchy is a great coach. So whatever is asked of me, I’m going to do. I just want to help get us over that hump and win. At this stage of my career, all that matters is winning. I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on the individual scale. But I want to win at this stage of my career. I’m extremely excited and blessed to have this opportunity.”

We have more from the Northwest Division:

For the second straight offseason, the Nuggets lost a key piece to free agency. For the second straight year, they’re hoping that a young player will fill the void left behind. Denver is counting on that strategy to be more successful this time around after watching the offseason growth of both Christian Braun and Julian Strawther, Tony Jones of The Athletic writes. Braun played well over the course of both of his first two seasons in the league, but Strawther hasn’t played much to this point. A skilled three-point marksman, Strawther will be leaned on but has the faith of the coaching staff and his teammates behind him. “Julian Strawther is poised and ready to have a really good second season,” Denver head coach Michael Malone said. “Julian was in the gym every day this summer. Every single day. The guy was a workhorse.“
It’s rare for the 57th pick in a draft to become a rotation so early in their career, but that’s the case for Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, who has made 128 career appearances, including 23 starts, and averaged 8.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. He’s hoping to continue building on his early career success, Aaron Fentress of OregonLive writes. “Jabari has been doing a good job,” head coach Chauncey Billups said. “He’s been having a good camp. He was kind of hampered all summer with his knee and stuff. But he’s been back playing, and he hasn’t missed a beat at all. Obviously, he’s so tough and so competitive, his teams usually do pretty well in the scrimmages because of his rebounding and his competitiveness.”
Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija is not participating in Friday’s matchup against the Clippers as he observes Yom Kippur, he announced in an Instagram story. According to Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin (Twitter link), Avdija will make his preseason — and Trail Blazers — debut on Sunday against the Kings.
Jazz guard Keyonte George left Utah’s preseason game and had to be helped off the court near the beginning of the third quarter due to a leg injury, according to Mavs.com’s Eddie Sefko (Twitter link). The Jazz said George was out with a mild left knee sprain, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon confirms he will get an MRI later on Friday but adds that the Jazz are optimistic he won’t miss much, if any, regular season time (Twitter link).

Wolves Notes: Gobert, Randle, Edwards, Minott, Finch

October 5th, 2024 at 5:28pm CST by Arthur Hill

After spending the past two seasons trying to adapt his game to fit with Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert suddenly has a new frontcourt partner after this week’s trade with the Knicks. In an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Gobert said he should be just as effective playing alongside Julius Randle.

“He’s a very smart player. He’s very versatile,” Gobert said. “I think that I’m going to be able to help him with my screening, with my spacing and my gravity and make his life even easier. I’ll try to get him as many easy baskets as he can get. He’s a guy that I know will make the right play. When the defense collapses, I know he’s good at kicking out. When the big helps, he’s good at finding his bigs. He’s a very smart player. We got a lot of games to get used to making mistakes and learn how to maximize him for us as a team.”

Gobert called Towns “a great friend” and credited him for being supportive after Gobert was acquired from Utah. They were able to take Minnesota to the conference finals for the first time in 20 years, even though Gobert admitted there were a lot of doubters along the way. He’s looking forward to competing for a title with the new-look Wolves, saying that Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are battle-tested veterans.

“To be able to win a championship, we have to be able to overcome adversity as a group,” Gobert said. “If the closeness is not there, when there’s adversity, then you’re going to break apart. We’ve been through a lot of adversity in the last two years as a group. I know Julius and Donte have been through adversity. They know what it is. They both have this type of maturity. They both are also guys that want to win. They understand that winning is not always pretty. So I’m excited about that.”

There’s more from Minnesota:

The Towns trade provides the Wolves with more financial flexibility and reduces the danger that Anthony Edwards might seek a trade in a few years due to a stagnant roster, observes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Hine believes the deal gives Minnesota a longer window to contend for a title, which is what Edwards will expect when he’s in the prime of his career.
Third-year forward Josh Minott was one of the stars of Friday’s preseason opener with 22 points and eight rebounds in a win over the Lakers. Minott tells Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that following a disappointing Summer League performance, he has become more relaxed by not focusing on results, which has given him a better outlook. “In my 21 years on this planet — about to be 22 — this is probably the most confident I’ve ever felt in my jump shot,” Minott said. “I feel like anytime the ball leaves my hands from beyond the arc, it’s going in.” Wolves staff members have been raving about Minott’s shooting since last season’s playoffs, tweets John Hollinger of The Athletic.
Patrick Reusse of The Star Tribune is concerned that the Wolves might have too much talent on their revamped roster to keep everyone happy. Coach Chris Finch traditionally uses a nine-man rotation, and he has nine veterans who were rotation members on their respective teams last season. That’s in addition to Minott, Luka Garza, Leonard Miller and first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon.

Wolves Notes: Knicks Trade, Randle, DiVincenzo, Towns

October 3rd, 2024 at 5:51pm CST by Rory Maher

While long-term salary cap considerations played a factor in Minnesota’s blockbuster trade with New York, Timberwolves sources tell Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that majority owner Glen Taylor was only willing to sign off on a deal involving Karl-Anthony Towns if the front office believed it would improve the team entering the 2024/25 season. Last season, the Wolves made the Western Conference finals for just the second time in franchise history, and Taylor had no interest in taking a step back.

“First and foremost, I think it’s extremely important to recognize that this is not a money deal,” head coach Chris Finch said. “Glen and our ownership was and is committed to paying large amounts of tax for this team to be highly competitive. That hasn’t changed. This deal in totality checks a lot of boxes. We think it’s a great basketball trade.”

Sources tell Krawczynski that Taylor reiterated throughout the summer he was willing to a foot a significant luxury tax bill and would rather have kept Towns — and the four years and $220MM left on his contract — than make the team worse. As Krawczysnki writes, Taylor is in an ongoing ownership dispute with minority stakeholders Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, and it behooves both sides to keep the Wolves as competitive as possible entering arbitration in early November.

It has been reported multiple times that the Knicks have wanted Towns for at least a couple years. But the timing of the trade was surprising, considering the regular season begins in a few weeks and training camps are already underway.

Team and league sources tell Krawczynski that the Wolves didn’t have many other options for moving Towns, especially for quality players in return, making the Knicks’ offer –headlined by three-time All-Star Julius Randle — appealing. However, according to Krawczynski, the Wolves only accepted the trade when the Knicks included Donte DiVincenzo in place of Mitchell Robinson, who is out until December or January as he continues recovers from ankle surgery.

Krawczynski also suggests the Wolves had some concerns that if they struggled to open ’24/25 or Towns got hurt, they would’ve had even fewer suitable trade options for the four-time All-Star due to his recent injury history and super-max contract. Still, it was difficult to deal away one of the top players in franchise history, a former No. 1 overall pick who had strong ties within the organization and the community.

Here’s more on the Wolves:

Finch said Randle will be the starting power forward and lavished praise on his former colleague — he was an assistant with New Orleans during Randle’s lone season with the Pelicans in ’18/19. “Really, really enjoyed working with him,” Finch said, per Krawczynski. “Great pro. Loves being in the gym, comes in with a smile on his face every day. He’s hungry for feedback. Really pleasant.” For his part, Randle said he’s thrilled to reunite with Finch, calling him a “genius” who excelled with preparation, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN.
Randle could hit free agency next summer if he declines his $30.9MM player option for ’25/26. He said he was initially shocked by the trade but after getting a night’s sleep, he had a different perspective, calling the deal “a breath of fresh air,” according to Collier. “You want to be somewhere where you feel wanted. I feel wanted here,” Randle said Thursday. “At this point in my career, I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship. This is a perfect opportunity to do that.”
Finch was also excited about the addition of DiVincenzo, saying he should be able to acclimate quickly, Krawczynski notes. “His basketball IQ and his ability to cut and move and play off the ball is something that we really need,” Finch said. “That’ll benefit us right away.”
A recent report suggested that DiVincenzo may not have been thrilled with a potential reduced role with the Knicks, but a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post that DiVincenzo had “embraced” the idea of coming off the bench and didn’t want to leave New York. “When you look at the big picture, my mind wasn’t on what teams were interested in me. When I was in New York, I was fully there. I wanted to be there. And when this kind of picked up, I realized it was an opportunity. And when it became an actual thing, my mind just completely went straight to Minnesota,” DiVincenzo said. “And I immediately thanked everybody from my time in New York. There’s so much love there. But once I realized this is a real thing and actually happened, my mind transitioned to Minnesota. And I’m 100 percent here and excited.”
Towns recently sent out a tweet thanking the Wolves organization and the team’s fans.

Knicks Officially Acquire Karl-Anthony Towns In Three-Team Trade With Wolves, Hornets

October 2nd, 2024 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster involving the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Hornets is now official, according to press releases from each of the three teams involved in the deal.

Word first broke last Friday night that an agreement had been reached, with more details reported on Tuesday. The full terms of the trade are as follows:

Knicks acquire Towns and the draft rights to James Nnaji.
Timberwolves acquire Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and the Pistons’ 2025 first-round pick (top-13 protected; from Knicks).
Hornets acquire DaQuan Jeffries (sign-and-trade), Charlie Brown Jr. (sign-and-trade), Duane Washington (sign-and-trade), either the Nuggets’ or Sixers’ 2025 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable; from Timberwolves), the Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick (from Knicks), the Knicks’ 2031 second-round pick, and cash ($7.2MM; from Knicks).

“We are beyond excited to welcome Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks family,” Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose said in a statement. “Karl-Anthony brings a skillset that is unique to the game of basketball. He possesses a blend of playmaking, shooting, rebounding and defending that in combination with his size allows him to compete at a level that is rare in this league. Karl-Anthony has demonstrated throughout his career to be a high caliber player and person on and off the court who will complement the type of team and culture we continue to build in New York.”

Minnesota waived camp invitee Jaedon LeDee in order to accommodate the one-for-three swap, while Charlotte cut guards Marcus Garrett and guard Caleb McConnell to make room on its roster for the three incoming players.

Both the Wolves and Hornets are now at their 21-man preseason limits, while the Knicks have five open spots on their 21-man squad. They’ll reportedly fill one of those spots by re-signing Chuma Okeke.

Our original report on the trade includes more details on the on-court implications of the move for the Knicks and Timberwolves. We also discussed how it will affect New York’s ability to fill out the rest of its regular season roster.

Here are a few more additional notes on the transaction:

Randle received his full 15% trade bonus as part of the transaction, confirms ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). That bumps the forward’s cap hit for 2024/25 from $28,939,680 to $33,073,920. The cap charge for Randle’s ’25/26 player option ($30,935,520) remains unchanged, since the trade bonus doesn’t affect option years.
Towns also had a trade kicker in his contract, but it’s voided because he’s already earning his maximum salary, Marks adds (via Twitter).
The three players the Knicks signed-and-traded to the Hornets will each earn exactly $1 more than their respective minimum salaries, per Marks. That works out to $2,425,404 for Jeffries, $2,237,692 for Brown, and $2,162,607 for Washington. Teams aren’t permitted to aggregate multiple minimum-salary contracts for matching purposes in offseason trades, and since Bates-Diop is on a minimum deal, Jeffries, Brown, and Washington couldn’t be. Fred Katz of The Athletic (Twitter link) has heard that the NBA “isn’t thrilled” about the way in which the Knicks circumvented that rule, but it’s technically legal.
The Hornets used their $7,983,000 room exception to accommodate those three incoming salaries, becoming the first team to take advantage of the new rule allowing clubs to use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception, room exception, or bi-annual exception to acquire a player via trade. Charlotte now has just $1,157,297 left on that exception.
The Timberwolves will create a $4,686,880 trade exception in the deal, which they’d be allowed to use this season despite being a second-apron team. Teams operating above either tax apron are prohibited from using trade exceptions that were generated during the previous season, but can use newly created TPEs.
Because they sent approximately $7.2MM to the Hornets in the deal, were responsible for paying Randle’s $4.13MM trade bonus, and will reportedly pay Partizan Belgrade an estimated $850K for Washington’s buyout, the Knicks are on the hook for more than $12MM in cash, separate from player salaries, as a result of the deal.

Hornets To Receive Three Second-Rounders, Three Players In Towns Blockbuster

October 1st, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hornets are receiving three second-round picks along with DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr. and Duane Washington Jr. as the third team in the Knicks–Timberwolves blockbuster trade, Shams Charania, Jon Krawczynski and Fred Katz of The Athletic report (via Twitter). A pair of those second-rounders are coming from the Knicks, while the Timberwolves will provide the other one.

The Knicks, of course, are acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns in the trade, while Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a protected Pistons first-round pick controlled by New York are headed to Minnesota.

The Knicks will also receive the rights to 2023 draft pick James Nnaji from Charlotte, Katz tweets.

Jeffries has appeared in a total of 64 NBA games for four different teams. He saw action in 17 games off the bench for New York last season.

Brown has appeared in NBA games for five organizations since entering the league in 2019/20. He played eight games for the Knicks last season.

Washington has played a total of 79 games for Indiana and Phoenix. Washington, who didn’t appear in an NBA game last season, signed a two-year contract with Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade in July.

ESPN’s Bobby Marks provides more details on Charlotte’s haul (Twitter link). Minnesota is shipping a 2025 second-rounder (the least favorable of Denver’s or Philadelphia’s picks). The Knicks are giving up a 2026 pick that Golden State owed them and their own 2031 second-rounder.

The trio of veteran players are involved in sign-and-trades and Charlotte will also collect a total of $7.2MM in cash from the Knicks, Marks notes. That’s the maximum amount of cash a team can trade in 2024/25, so New York won’t be permitted to sent out cash in any subsequent deals.

The cash Charlotte receives will offset the salaries of the three players, who will earn a combined $6.8MM, Marks adds (Twitter link). The Hornets are using their room exception to make those acquisitions, making them the first team to take advantage of new rules allowing teams to trade for players using the non-taxpayer mid-level, room, or bi-annual exception.

Partizan and Washington will agree to a buyout freeing him up for the sign-and-trade deal, but Charlotte plans to waive him, so he could re-sign with the Belgrade-based club, Ian Begley of SNY TV tweets.

Nnaji, the 31st pick of the 2023 draft, is a draft-and-stash prospect who struggled to get rotation minutes with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona in ’23/24. He’s playing for Spain’s Girona on loan from Barcelona this season.

As we outlined on Saturday when we discussed the cap implications of the trade for the Knicks, they’ll have just 12 players under contract once the deal is official and won’t have enough room under their hard cap to carry two more players on veteran minimum deals.

In all likelihood, they’ll carry a 13th man on a minimum-salary contract (possibly Landry Shamet) and will promote either Kevin McCullar or Ariel Hukporti to the standard roster. They’d also have the option of signing a draft-and-stash prospect as their 14th man, though most viable candidates for an NBA roster spot are under contract with teams elsewhere.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Towns, Anunoby

September 30th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks‘ three major trades in the past nine months — bringing in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns — were a result of seeking out the best possible players to complement Jalen Brunson, writes James L. Edwards of The New York Post. As Edwards points out, when the front office began to spend the collection of draft assets and young talent it had built up, it didn’t settle for just any 3-and-D wings or floor-spacing big men. It got three of the best players on the market.

“I haven’t really processed it,” Brunson responded at Monday’s media day when asked about how the team has been built around him. “Yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but I just know that we have a lot of guys who are hungry and willing to do whatever it takes. I would never consider myself (a face of the franchise). There are definitely people on the outside who can say it if they want, but I’m a leader of this team, I want to lead this team and I’m grateful of the opportunity. I don’t take this for granted.”

The collection of talent in New York not only makes the Knicks a legitimate title contender for the first time in years, it could turn Brunson into a serious MVP candidate, Edwards notes. Bridges, his former teammate at Villanova, hasn’t been surprised by Brunson’s NBA success.

“I knew throughout college, but I really knew when he signed (with the Knicks),” Bridges said. “I knew what he was going to do, especially in the league we play in. Him having the ball and being able to be ball dominant … his efficiency is out of the roof. I knew what he was going to be able to do with the ball in hands here, more than what he was able to do in Dallas.”

There’s more from media day in New York:

Brunson talked about the difficulty of losing Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who are being sent to Minnesota in the Towns trade, per Justin Tasch of The New York Post. “That was definitely tough. Thankful that Julius welcomed me with open arms here. That news, it was crazy,” Brunson said. “I’m really thankful for them and their friendships and everything and what they brought to this team. Really thankful I got to get a relationship with Julius. The memories we made together was really fun. Donte, he was a groomsman in my wedding. That should tell you everything you need to know about our relationship. Love him to death.”
Bridges brushed aside media day questions about a potential contract extension, but said he’s looking forward to teaming up with Towns once the trade is finalized, per Adam Zagoria (Twitter link). “I like KAT, man, I played against him for years,” Bridges said. “He can stretch the floor. You forget until you stand next to him just how tall he is. He’s tall as hell. Obviously a great player.”
Josh Hart is also ready to get the trade done so Towns can report to camp, saying, “We’re extremely excited with what we have — officially and unofficially, and we’re excited to get started,” Zagoria adds (Twitter link). Hart stated that being dealt to Minnesota is probably “difficult” for Randle because of the role he played in helping the Knicks become competitive again.
Anunoby, who got a new five-year, $212.5MM contract this summer, indicated that re-signing with the Knicks was his first choice all along, tweets Ian Begley of SNY. “I always wanted to be here, so it wasn’t a hard decision for me,” Anunoby said.

New York Notes: Towns Trade, Knicks, Simmons, Nets

September 29th, 2024 at 8:43am CST by Rory Maher

The Knicks are still working through the details of their blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, which has yet to be finalized. Why did they choose to go all-in on the 28-year-old big man?

For starters, president of basketball operations Leon Rose was Towns’ representative when he was the head agent at CAA, notes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Knicks executive William Wesley is also close with the Towns family, per Begley — clearly there’s an affinity between the two sides.

As Begley writes, the Knicks view Towns as an ideal complementary piece to their core roster, particularly on offense with Jalen Brunson. Towns’ presence should create more driving lines for Brunson and make it more difficult for opponents to trap him.

Begley confirms New York has coveted Towns for some time, but trade talks with Minnesota didn’t pick up steam until the Knicks signaled a willingness to include Donte DiVincenzo in the package. Begley isn’t sure why the Knicks changed their mind — they were opposed to dealing DiVincenzo for the majority of the offseason.

According to Begley, DiVincenzo wasn’t thrilled with the idea of playing a reduced role this season after he had a career year in 2023/24. Still, Begley doesn’t think that had much to do with New York’s decision. He speculates that Julius Randle‘s contract situation (he can be a free agent in 2025 if he declines his 2025/26 player option) and Mitchell Robinson‘s injury absence were likely bigger factors.

Here’s more on the two New York-based teams:

While all eyes will be on Towns with training camp about to begin, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post believes Mikal Bridges is the “most intriguing” player the Knicks acquired this offseason. Bondy projects a starting lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Towns, with Miles McBride likely the team’s sixth man. With major roster changes and some players coming off injuries, Bondy expects the Knicks to look sluggish in preseason.
Ben Simmons‘ health is the biggest storyline to watch for the Nets as they enter training camp, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons has appeared in just 57 of 246 regular season games over the past three seasons — including 15 in 2023/24 — and is coming off a second back surgery. However, he’s fully cleared for camp and has been one of the team’s standouts in pickup games, sources tell Lewis. Second-year big man Noah Clowney and offseason acquisition Ziaire Williams are two other players who have played well in informal games ahead of camp, Lewis adds.
In a pair of stories for The New York Post, Lewis examines the other Nets storylines ahead of training camp and provides a rundown of their 20-man roster, which is one player shy of the offseason limit.

More Notes On Blockbuster Knicks/Timberwolves Trade

September 28th, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Before news of the Karl-Anthony Towns trade broke on social media on Friday night, Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly visited Towns at his Minnesota home to let him know that he was being traded to the Knicks, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

As Krawczynski details, the fact that the Wolves moved off one of their highest-paid players didn’t come as a total surprise, given the team’s high payroll in 2024/25 and beyond, but the timing of the move was “an absolute thunderbolt that no one saw coming” after the team spent the offseason lauding its roster continuity and chemistry.

According to Krawczynski, the Wolves had an increasingly difficult time envisioning a scenario in which they were able to keep their existing roster intact beyond the 2024/25 season. Sources tell The Athletic that if Towns had stayed in Minnesota long-term, it likely would’ve meant parting with fan favorite Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Getting two rotation players – Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo – in exchange for one will create more flexibility going forward for the Wolves, especially since Randle has the opportunity to reach free agency in 2025. While it doesn’t sound like there are any immediate plans to flip the newcomers – Krawczynski says Randle has “plenty of advocates” in Minnesota and the team has long had interest in DiVincenzo – their contracts should make them easier to move on the trade market, if necessary, than Towns was with four years and $220MM left on his deal, Krawczynski observes.

Here’s more on the Towns trade, which is still in the process of being finalized:

The Knicks repeatedly called the Timberwolves over the years to express their interest in Towns, but those discussions never really evolved into full-fledged negotiations until now, says Fred Katz of The Athletic.
While the “Villanova Knicks” won’t get to take the court this season – with DiVincenzo sent to Minnesota before Mikal Bridges has played his first game as a Knick – the club is excited about the way that Towns will complement Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and OG Anunoby, league sources tell The Athletic. Katz adds that Towns’ plus-minus numbers helped convince the Knicks to roll the dice on him, as the Wolves have consistently been better with him on the court throughout his career.
There’s not expected to be any lingering tension between Towns and former Wolves head coach Tom Thibodeau. Towns has publicly spoken about harboring no ill feelings toward Thibodeau after their up-and-down time together in Minnesota from 2016-19, and a source close to the Knicks’ head coach says he feels the same way, per Katz. “If a guy can play,” that source said, “Thibs wants him.”
Although Towns and Randle have seven All-Star nods between them, both stars come with their share of question marks related to their injury histories, contract situations, and defense. Michael Pina of The Ringer considers the risk that both sides are taking on by making this move and questions the timing of the agreement.
In his analysis of the deal, John Hollinger of The Athletic notes that the Knicks addressed their center problem by acquiring Towns, but run the risk of creating “enough other issues that the cure may be worse than the disease.” Specifically, the deal will hurt the team’s wing depth and create major long-term cap challenges, Hollinger writes.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic also isn’t 100% sure that the trade will make the Knicks a better team. Edwards acknowledges that Towns is the best player in the deal, but points out that he won’t address the team’s two biggest short-term needs: frontcourt defense and secondary play-making.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Chris Herring, and Bobby Marks take a look at what the move means for both the Knicks and the Timberwolves and explore the biggest remaining question marks related to the deal.

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