If you are one of the Knicks fans who are waiting for the “Nova Knicks” to show up with their games in the season, then you would be utterly disappointed to know that they won’t be playing any games together for the coming season after the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off a trade – that no one even expected at this point in time.

At this point, it did come as a massive surprise considering the fact that the Knicks didn’t really need to make some changes in their squad as well. The Knicks sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo along with a protected first-round pick to the Timberwolves, with the latter team sending their star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

This comes as a shock considering how well both teams are doing well with their respective star players. The Knicks missed Randle’s paint dominance in the postseason due to injury, while Towns just played a huge role in dismantling the 2023 NBA Champions and bringing the Wolves to its first-ever Western Conference Finals berth in a long time.

KAT on the Big Apple

Karl-Anthony Towns clearly did not expect to be traded at this point in time – where the season is nearly underway with just a few weeks left. Towns is entering his 10th season with Minnesota and has sacrificed his lead role for Anthony Edwards. He even remained unbothered by the addition of Rudy Gobert two years ago.

A four-time All-Star and a promising big man, it does seem that Towns is now on the move and will be focusing on helping the Knicks build their best chances of winning. He was even pleased with the breakthrough that Minnesota had last season and was looking forward to bigger runs with the team before the trade.

“We showed our merit last season,” Towns said. “We showed our growth, and I think more importantly we showed maturity. We found a way to show we belonged. I’m just so proud of what we were able to do last year. We’re not going to be surprising anyone. I think we’ve shown that we’re a team that you definitely have to take into consideration. When you see us on the calendar, you’ve got to bring your best.”

Towns will get the chance to play the Wolves on December 19th, where the Wolves will host the Knicks. The center just posted an ellipsis on his social media platform as his main reaction to the trade.

Randle and DiVincenzo on the Twin Cities

Randle arrives as a two-way player for the Wolves but significantly decreases the floor spacing that they had with Towns. However, the addition of Donte DiVincenzo to the squad is clearly looking like a fair win to consider with the way Minnesota relies on wing players to boost their on-ball action and movement. This further stresses the fact that the Wolves are in a dire need of breaking salaries for the future.

The recent max contract signing for Edwards and the addition of Rudy Gobert amidst other expensive commitments just shows how they needed to ship Towns in order to get away from the second apron of the luxury tax that will be soon coming under stiff restrictions with the new collective bargaining agreement taking place.

This trade was a massive buzz among fans, and it cannot be denied that it was a shocking move from both teams considering how well they performed in the previous playoff run.