Looking back on the Minnesota Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns
In 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. In the two decades since, they made the playoffs just three times, losing in the first round each time.
Drafted first overall in 2025, Karl-Anthony Towns had a front row seat for a decade of that time, enduring a number of rough seasons, on-court heartbreaks, and off-court scrutiny.
When the Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals with Towns and Anthony Edwards leading the charge, it looked like Minnesota had found the dynamic duo that would carry them to more success for the next five to seven years.
Instead, days before training camp opened on the 2024-25 season, the Timberwolves traded Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Was Trade A Big Mistake?
The trade looked like a win-win for both sides in 2025 as the Timberwolves returned to the Western Conference Finals and the Knicks were in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams fell short of their goal of making the Finals, but the trade wasn't questioned.
A year later, the Timberwolves lost in the second round against the San Antonio Spurs, with Randle failing to show up in the biggest moments, while the Knicks are in the Finals with Towns looking like the best player on the court.
On ESPN's First Take, former Knicks player Iman Shumpert called out Randle for his play against the Spurs, saying that he needed to make shots and be better to take pressure off of Edwards, who was seeing a constant double team, the way Towns is taking the pressure off of Jalen Brunson in the Finals.
Is Shumpert Right?
There is no denying that Randle did not play well against the Spurs. He averaged 12.8 points and shot 34% from the field and 19% from three while averaging 1.5 assists and three turnovers in the six-game series.
In two games in the Finals, Towns is averaging 19.5 points while shooting 55% from the field and 42% from three, with four assists per game and two turnovers.
On the surface, Shumpert is 100% correct, but it doesn't fully take into account the players around them. Donte DiVincenzo did not play against the Spurs. His playmaking and shooting would've been a big benefit to the team. Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby are more versatile and complete players than Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert, and Ayo Dosunmu.
It also doesn't take into account that Jalen Brunson, at this stage of his career, is better at reading and reacting to defenses than Anthony Edwards.
Yes, Randle needed to be better for the Timberwolves to have a shot, and maybe Towns would've changed the dynamic, but Minnesota's roster around Edwards had bigger problems than just Randle.
