If the New York Knicks want to make a major move this offseason, three-time All Star Julius Randle remains the team’s biggest trade chip that the team could be willing to deal. CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn floated a scenario where the Knicks land Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota is coming off a deep playoff run, but is also headed towards an expensive luxury tax deal. Quinn’s proposal has the Knicks sending Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic and draft picks to the Wolves for Towns.
“How badly do the Knicks want to upgrade on Julius Randle? There’s a pretty easy scenario here in which Minnesota swaps Towns for Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic along with some draft capital with the idea that it can just pay for a $30 million power forward next season instead of a $50 million big,” Quinn wrote in a May 31, 2024 story titled, “Karl-Anthony Towns trade rumors are inevitable after Timberwolves’ loss to Mavericks, but are they realistic?”
“Towns, both a CAA client and Kentucky alum, has long been in the orbit of New York’s power brokers. It’s hard to believe the Knicks wouldn’t have grander trade ambitions, and Towns’ first go-round with Tom Thibodeau didn’t end well.”
Minnesota Timberwolves Center Karl-Anthony Towns Has a 4-Year, $221 Million Contract That Runs Through the 2027-28 Season
Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves chose not to participate in “Inside The NBA” interviews, standing in solidarity with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert against criticism from Draymond Green, per @TheAthletic
“Edwards was surrounded by a tight-knit team, one with such…
Towns signed a four-year, $221 million contract extension in 2022 that finally begins next season. The four-time All-Star’s deal runs through the 2027-28 season.
Towns has a player option for the final year of his contract and can become a free agent in 2027. The center is estimated to have a $49.3 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season.
Knicks Rumors: New York May Explore Trading Julius Randle to Land Another Star
Julius Randle: “I spent 2.5 months rehabbing before, so when I came out of shoulder surgery I was recovering pretty fast; all my muscles around my shoulder are strong. So I’ve been healing up great. Been taking my time. Not in a rush. But I like where I’m at for sure”
As for Randle, the big man had a season-ending shoulder injury in April and played just 46 games in 2023-24. The Knicks made their playoff run without Randle, prompting plenty of speculation that New York could explore trading the All-Star.
Prior to the injury, Randle averaged 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5 assists per game while shooting 31.1% from long range. Randle has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $117 million contract.
The power forward has a $28.9 million cap hit next season. Randle can opt out of his deal to become a free agent in 2025. The Athletic’s Fred Katz reported that the Knicks could explore trading Randle if it meant landing another star.
“The Knicks are not trying to trade Randle, but they recognize that their quest for a star could require having to do so,” Katz noted on the May 24 article titled, “Julius Randle’s extension, NBA Draft musings and more Knicks offseason storylines.” “If a suitable target does not pop up this summer, then they could turn their eyes to the 2025 trade deadline, hoping to land one then.”
Knicks Rumors: How Does Karl-Anthony Towns Fit in New York?
Towns is taking a lot of heat for his inconsistent performance versus the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. The four-time All-Star shot just 24.2% from long range in the series.
Towns also scored 16 or less points in the first three games of the Western Conference Finals. The big man was able to make more of an imapct in the final two games dropping 28 and 25 points respectively.
How would Towns fit alongside the Villanova Knicks core? In theory, New York would have more of a defensive big man to play alongside Towns in either Isaiah Hartenstein or Mitchell Robinson. The basketball fit could work, but it remains to be seen if New York would be willing to take on Towns’ lucrative contract.
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Proposed Blockbuster NBA Trade Has Knicks Land $221 Million Star for Randle