The Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing a deal with the New York Knicks that would send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple for a package including Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, according to The Athletic. The Timberwolves would also get a protected first-round pick from the Knicks that originally belonged to the Detroit Pistons. The deal must also include at least another $8.8 million in salary coming from the New York side due to their first apron restriction, but as Minnesota is a second apron team, the Timberwolves cannot take that money in. Therefore, a third team will be needed before this is all said and done.
This would mark the second major acquisition for New York this offseason after their mega deal to acquire Mikal Bridges in June. The Knicks lost starting center Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and their other key center, Mitchell Robinson, will miss the beginning of the season due to injury. Now, in Towns, the Knicks have found a franchise center, but a very different sort of player from the ones they are missing. Hartenstein and Robinson operate primarily near the basket. Towns is arguably the best big man shooter in NBA history, and he will give the Knicks an entirely new dimension offensively.
The Timberwolves are coming off of the best season in their franchise’s history. Towns was an integral part of their second-round upset over the defending champion Denver Nuggets, but he is also early in a super max contract that would have grown prohibitive for Minnesota with time. With Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels both starting hefty new contracts this season, the Timberwolves seemingly decided they needed to move quickly on a deal.
Towns has been a rumored Knicks target for quite some time. He is represented by Jessica Holtz of CAA. Knicks president Leon Rose was once notably the head of CAA’s basketball division, and the Knicks have long fostered a reputation for acquiring CAA clients.
CBS Sports will update this story as it develops.
