NBA Rumors: Karl-Anthony Towns Traded to Knicks; T-Wolves Get Julius Randle, More | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumours

After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns is on the move.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the T-Wolves are trading the three-time All-Star to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.

SNY Ian Begley added that the Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, among other teams, have discussed a trade for Randle with the Knicks.

This is a huge gamble by the T-Wolves coming off one of the best seasons in franchise history and plenty of optimism about their potential for 2024-25.

Given the amount of money Minnesota had invested in big three Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, building depth was going to be a challenge.

The easiest way for the Timberwolves to rebuild their roster has always been to trade cities, but it seemed like president of basketball operations Tim Connelly was taking a different approach.

Connelly made a smart move during the draft, trading up to the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 8 to General Rob Dillingham.

The division of cities after that move seems strange, but it still exists uncertainty about the franchise ownership situation that could have an impact on these decisions.

The on-field implications of the city switch will be interesting to watch and see how head coach Chris Finch navigates them.

Minnesota finished third in the Western Conference thanks to having the best defensive rating in the NBA (109.0). The team advanced to the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history before losing to the Dallas Mavericks.

Towns had a solid season with 21.8 points on 50.4 percent shooting and 8.3 rebounds per game in 62 starts. His four-year, $224.2 million extension, signed in July 2022, begins next season.

Drafted No. 1 overall in 2015, the 27-year-old has been one of the NBA’s most prolific scoring centers since entering the league. He has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the past seven seasons and is 39.5 percent from three-point range in his career.

After winning a playoff series in each of the last two seasons, the Knicks’ vibes are as high as they’ve been in a long time. It helps to have a bona fide star at point guard in Jalen Brunson.

The front office has done a great job of building around Brunson, most notably acquiring OG Anunoby in a midseason deal with the Toronto Raptors last season. He signed a long-term deal over the summer after the team also acquired Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets.

Towns will be an interesting matchup with head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has a strong defensive style. He has been limited in this area throughout his career, but his scoring prowess will make him a more formidable team on the offensive end of the floor.

It helps the Knicks to have Mitchell Robinson playing in the paint, even though he is currently sidelined with an injury.

The Knicks’ stock is high right now, and this is a big play by general manager Scott Perry to bring the franchise closer to winning a championship.