Knicks, Timberwolves close to exchanging All-Stars in potential blockbuster trade: reports

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The New York Knicks are making one more big move before the season starts to capitalize on their championship window.

According to multiple reports, the Knicks are on the verge of acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves and will send Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Some reports say the Knicks are also adding a first-round selection.

The Knicks made it to the second round of the playoffs last year without Randle, who dislocated his shoulder earlier in the year and missed the rest of the season.

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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves talks with Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks after a play in the third quarter of the game at Target Center on November 7, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Towns was a part of a T-Wolves team featuring Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert that made it to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Dallas Mavericks.

Randle had a complicated legacy in New York, often frustrating fans with his play, and even giving them a thumbs down because, admittedly, they would boo him. But, during his tenure, Randle revitalized himself as a player, earning his first two All-Star nods and averaging 22.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest.

DiVincenzo averaged a career-high 15.5 points per game last season while eclipsing 40% from three-point range for the first time in his career, as he started a career-best 63 games.

Randle and Towns

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves controls the ball against Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 1, 2024, in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 112-106.  (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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Towns, though, is on a Hall of Fame trajectory and is in the conversation for the best shooting big-man of all-time. He was named an All-Star for the fourth time this past season, and his 41.6% from three was the second-best mark of his career.

It’s a homecoming for Towns, who grew up in nearby central New Jersey and went to St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen. He was the first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft out of Kentucky.

Supposedly catching wind of the news, Towns posted on X, “…”

Earlier this offseason, the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, further cementing themselves as the “Nova Knicks” – Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart played together at Villanova. But, so did DiVincenzo.

A move for a big man was necessary for the Knicks – they lost Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, and it’s been reported that oft-injured Mitchell Robinson will not be ready for the start of the season.

Karl Anthony-Towns wearing a blue jersey

Karl Anthony-Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on January 17, 2020, in Indianapolis, Indiana.      (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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The two sides are said to be finalizing details – The Athletic notes that salaries don’t match up with the three players involved. But, it looks to be when, not if, this deal will be complete.

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