Bill Simmons still can’t believe the deal centered around Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle worked out for everyone. It has been more than a year since the deal and the podcaster says both the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves would make it again without hesitation. Stuff like that almost never happens in the NBA!
No Buyers' remorse in New York or Minnesota
On The Bill Simmons Podcast, Simmons summed up the rarity of the situation. “It’s interesting to have a trade that was that big, that a year plus later I feel like both teams would still do it.” He added that there is usually at least some regret attached to moves of this size, a moment where someone says, “Ah, I don’t know.” That moment has never come up.
The Knicks completed the deal back in early October of 2024. They sent Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first round pick originally from the Detroit Pistons to the Timberwolves. It was a deal that followed the heels of New York’s acquisition of Mikal Bridges closely and confirmed a clear desire to contend.
Karl-Anthony Towns came back the other way and delivered exactly what the Knicks were missing. His shooting stretched the floor in ways New York had never gotten from the center position with Jalen Brunson on the roster and his rebounding stabilized lineups that previously relied on effort more than structure.
That partnership between Brunson and Towns mattered most in the postseason. When defenses tightened, Towns’ spacing and versatility opened lanes and created counters. The result was a deep playoff run that ended in the Eastern Conference Finals, validating the gamble almost immediately.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards got a great running-mate. Minnesota’s first season after the deal ended similarly to the Knicks, as they got bounced by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
What is most important for them is that they were able to move on from the two-big experiment with Towns and Rudy Gobert sharing the floor. The return gave them multiple contributors and flexibility without forcing a rebuild.
Simmons contrasted the deal with other recent blockbusters that quickly lost their shine, pointing to the Jimmy Butler trade involving the Golden State Warriors. He noted that even though the Warriors did not give up much, the excitement wasn't the same months later. That is the usual lifecycle of a major trade: initial buzz followed by doubt or regret, at least on one side.
That's why this trade still feels unusual. It did not just look solid on paper at the time or in hindsight. One year later, both teams would probably still say yes to the same deal. That was rare enough that Simmons still can’t wrap his head around it.