The Knicks' baffling trade for Karl-Anthony Towns is looking worse by the day

Just a short time ago, the New York Knicks were the laughingstock of the NBA. In 2019, the Knicks were coming off a season that saw them end with the worst record in the NBA and not end up with the top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. 

They then struck out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in that year’s free agency, as both opted to sign with the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets. Instead, they left free agency with Julius Randle as their biggest signing. 

Two years later, Randle became an All-NBA player that led the Knicks to the fourth seed in the East. Two years after that, he was an All-NBA talent once again and alongside Jalen Brunson, led the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs. 

Now, as we enter the 2024-25 season, Randle is now part of a huge blockbuster trade that sends him and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Karl Anthony-Towns. It’s the second major move of the offseason for the Knicks, as they acquired Mikal Bridges earlier in the summer.

The New York Knicks mistaken went all-in on Karl-Anthony Towns.

In a perfect world, this trade makes a lot of sense. Adding an elite shooting big man like Towns next to a dynamic playmaker and scorer in Brunson makes the Knicks offense elite. The spacing between Towns, Anunoby, and Bridges gives Brunson even more room to operate. Towns has shot over 40 percent from three-point range for a full season five times in his career. He brings an element of offense that the Knicks haven’t had.

The problem is that this is not a perfect world and Towns has his flaws that could be detrimental to the Knicks. He is not consistently good on the defensive end of the floor, sometimes committing head-scratching fouls or having mental lapses that are hard to explain. Coming to a team that is dedicated to being an elite defensive team and a head coach in Tom Thibodeau who has zero tolerance for defensive ineptitude, will Towns be able to flip the switch?

In addition to that, Towns’ four year, $224 million extension is set to kick in this season. He will be making $49 million this season and his salary increases every year, including a $62 million player option in 2027 that he almost certainly won’t decline. 

The Knicks may have just ruined a perfectly good offseason.

New York is taking on a huge financial commitment and despite Brunson’s generous pay cut, will still have to deal with managing their salary cap and not falling into the second apron. Bridges is also due for an extension next offseason, so the Knicks payroll will be high.

Towns also has an extensive injury history, especially when it comes to his lower body. In the last five seasons, KAT has only played over 60 games twice. Last year, he missed over a month due to a knee injury. The season before, he missed multiple months due to a calf injury. 

He isn’t getting any younger either and will enter his 30s during this extension. With Thibodeau’s notorious love for playing his starters heavy minutes, will Towns be able to handle the workload? 

As for what the Knicks loss, losing Randle is not the worst thing in the world. From a basketball standpoint, Towns is a better fit due to his ability to space the floor and not be a ball stopper. He allows for more free flowing offense than Randle does. 

Losing DiVincenzo though is a huge loss, especially with the shooting he provides on the wing. He just made 283 three-pointers last year and was the Knicks’ second leading scorer in the postseason. New York now has a thin bench and given the injury history of Anunoby, losing a wing piece like DiVincenzo could hurt even more.

It seems that the Knicks were a little too desperate to fix their center spot, when they potentially could have waited for a cheaper solution than Towns. New York made their move. But was it the right one?