A huge trade was made ahead of the season.
The Athletic, a local U.S. media outlet, reported on the 28th (Korea time) that the New York Knicks are close to the Carl-Anthony Towns trade. The news that the price is Julius Randle and Donte DiVinchenzo added.
Towns has been a franchise star who has played in Minnesota jerseys ever since being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Towns is a big man who can easily score more than 20 points on average, and has a reputation for being a big man with the best shooting ability. In the 2023-2024 season, Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists, and was named an All-Star.
Towns had recently stepped down from his ace position after falling behind Anthony Edwards in Minnesota. On top of that, Minnesota also acquired Rudy Gobert in a trade ahead of the 2022-2023 season, and its solid big man position was also shaky. Still, Minnesota was unlikely to trade, as it ranked third in the Western Conference and advanced to the Western Conference Final in the 2023-2024 season in the playoff stage. This is why the trade is even more surprising.
New York, on the other hand, quickly became the No. 1 favorite after acquiring Towns. Following Jaylon Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunobi, Towns even recruited a superstar, and has the power to compete against the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Randall and DiVinchenzo were in trouble as well. Randall has long been reduced from being the king of New York to being in trouble. New York continuously looked into his trade and finally paid off. DiVinchenzo is one of the top 3&D players in the NBA and played an outstanding role in New York. However, New York acquired Mikal Bridges, the best 3&D player in the NBA, in this offseason. Chances were high that DiVinchenzo’s position would not be the same as before. He made the best trade for New York.
The trade caused a tectonic shift in both the Western and Eastern conferences. In particular, New York has built a powerful roster that can be called a victory or a failure.
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