Evaluating the Karl-Anthony Towns Trade 13 Games into the Knicks Season

The New York Knicks acquisition of Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves right before training camp sent shockwaves through the NBA. The Knicks seemed poised to run back what was looking like a pretty similar team to last season, with the only major moves being the loss of their starting Center Isaiah Hartenstein and the addition of an elite Wing in Mikal Bridges. That changed when the Knicks shipped out their multi-time all NBA Forward Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo who shattered the franchise record for threes in a season last year with 283.

To recap, here are the full details of the KAT trade, courtesy of CBS Sports:

• Knicks receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

• Timberwolves receive: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, 2025 first-round pick (via Knicks via Pistons)

• Hornets receive: Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., two second-round picks (via Knicks), one second-round pick (via Timberwolves)

At the time of the trade, Knicks fans were for the most part stunned. Many fans had mixed feelings about the trade, which is natural. After all, Randle was a mainstay of the franchise for the past five seasons, and was integral to their return to relevancy after years of awful basketball. DiVincenzo was a key piece to last seasons Knicks team that went 50-32 and came within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals. Most memorably, DiVincenzo hit a miraculous go-ahead shot in the final seconds of game 2 of the Knicks wild first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The early returns of the trade have been relatively even. The Knicks are 7-6. The Timberwolves are 8-6. Here is how the numbers of Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, and Donte DiVincenzo have looked so far this season:

Karl-Anthony Towns (11 games): 26 PPG, 12.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 54.2 FG%, 50.0 3P%, 0.8 BLK, 0.8 STL

Julius Randle (14 games): 21.6 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 4.4 APG, 50.7% FG%, 38.2 3P%, 0.1 BLK, 0.6 STL

Donte DiVincenzo (14 games): 9.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 3.3 APG, 34.9 FG%, 32.3 3P%, 0.3 BLK, 1.3 STL

Aside from missing two games due to injury, KAT has clearly had the best start to the season. He has been efficient, already has two 40+ point games this season and has dominated the boards (currently 3rd in the NBA in RPG). Randle has also had an excellent start to the season, and just hit a buzzer beating game winning three to cap off a season high 35 point performance against the Phoenix Suns. DiVincenzo's shooting percentages are way down to start the season, but given the breakout season he had last year, we have to expect that they will increase as the season goes along.

While some might argue that a big issue with this trade for the Knicks was that they had to trade 2 key players to get one, it's important to note that this has provided opportunities for other players to step up and play more minutes, including Miles "Deuce" McBride, who has been a strong contributor for the Knicks off the bench the past few seasons, and is seeing an even more expanded role this season.

Obviously, it is way too early to draw any firm conclusions on who won or who lost this trade, but so far, this trade has seemed more like a win-win for both teams than anything else. KAT has been a great fit for the Knicks, who have been looking for a floor spacing Center for years. Randle and DiVincenzo are very high quality players who will likely be key to the Timberwolves hopes of contending in the stacked Western Conference this season. For now, Knicks fans should be very excited about their team, as players continue to adjust to their new roles in a season where expectations are through the roof.