Julius Randle (left) and Karl-Anthony Towns have made big impacts on their new teams in 2024-25.
In early October, the Knicks made a big move to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves to give them a dominant big man that had been missing from the equation in recent playoff runs. In exchange, the Knicks sent key veterans Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Fast forward to May 19: both the Knicks and Timberwolves are in the Conference Finals. Towns and New York defeated the No. 2-seeded Celtics in six games to advance, while Randle played a huge role in the Timberwolves’ semifinals series against the Warriors.
Let’s take a deeper look at why this trade has worked out so well for both the Knicks and Timberwolves.
The Knicks’ 2024 season ended earlier than anticipated. They had bowed out in the second round after a 50-win season, making it two straight years with second-round exits. Was there a cap on the Knicks’ ceiling as currently constructed? The team’s brass wasn’t going to wait another year to find out.
New York had gotten solid production from its frontcourt but had lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, leaving a rather large hole to fill and not too many avenues available to do so. It lacked an obvious game-changer in that spot, so bringing in a player of Town’s caliber became all the more appealing.
Towns was one of the best big men in the league in his first season with the Knicks and helped give them a complete starting five that had threats at every spot on the floor. KAT ranked fifth in win shares among centers this season. He averaged 24.4 points and a career-high 12.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from deep. In the playoffs, Towns has notched eight double-doubles in 12 games.
With Towns in the fold, the Knicks improved from seventh in offensive rating in 2024 to fifth in 2025. They also jumped from 112.8 PPG (19th) to 115.8 (9th). It’s clear that Towns has been a major difference-maker for the Knicks, but he’s not the only player from this trade who has left a mark.
Randle and DiVincenzo were beloved players on the Knicks and quickly ingratiated themselves with the Timberwolves’ fan base. Despite an injury that cost him much of February, Randle turned in a strong season with 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48.5% from the floor. He took to his new role as the secondary scorer behind Anthony Edwards and had his most efficient season since 2019. DiVincenzo, meanwhile, provides a nice scoring punch off the bench. He finished the regular season second on the team in made 3-pointers per game (2.8) and second on the team in steals per game (1.2).
Since the playoffs have begun, Randle in particular has raised his game. He’s averaging 23.9 points per game on has a 56.5 true shooting percentage. His 24-10-12 triple-double in Game 3 of the Warriors’ series was one of his best all-around efforts of the season and helped the Timberwolves edge out a five-point win on the road.
The magnitude of that trade back in October means that these three players will forever be inextricably linked. It’s not often that blockbuster trades work out for both sides, let alone right away. And yet, that’s what has happened thus far. Towns and the Knicks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves are back in the Western Conference Finals for a second straight year and have a level of experience under their belts after last season.
