Dominant Randle outing makes KAT trade with Knicks look better for Timberwolves

The New York Knicks and Timberwolves dropped their season openers less than a month after the blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Both teams looked discombobulated. KAT didn't look as good as he did in the preseason, but that's what happens when you start the season against the best team in the league.

Minnesota fans weren't happy with Julius Randle's debut. He posted 16 points (5-of-10 shooting), nine rebounds, and four assists but looked disengaged on the defensive end. The Timberwolves' offensive flow looked a lot different without Towns. Fans wondered if it was worth trading KAT to New York after only one game.

Randle and the Timberwolves turned it around on Thursday in Sacramento. He scored a team-high 33 points (13-of-17 shooting), five rebounds, and four assists. The forward had 22 points in the first half. Minnesota pulled out the 117-115 win.

Anthony Edwards added 32 points. After the game, the young Timberwolves star said that Minnesota will be "trouble" with "Julius being himself."

Randle scores 33 points to lead Timberwolves to tough road win

Knicks fans know how the Randle experience goes. He posted a plus-minus of +2 in Minnesota's loss to Los Angeles, but that didn't tell the whole story. Rui Hachimura said the Lakers talked about how Randle "sometimes is just standing and stuff" on the defensive end. Maybe that was a wake-up call for the forward.

Randle has a $30.9 million player option for 2025-26 that he could decline next summer to become an unrestricted free agent. He could decline that option and sign a three-year extension worth about $40 million annually. Randle likes the slower pace of life in Minnesota and said that he feels wanted. It sounds like he'd be happy to be with the Timberwolves long-term. The 2024-25 season will determine whether that happens.

It's still too early to decide which team won or lost the trade. It could end up greatly benefitting both sides, but that's if Towns gets into a groove and Randle finds a way to be consistent. Don't forget about Donte DiVincenzo, who didn't shoot well in Minnesota's first two games but can get hot anytime.

Hopefully, Towns is in for a big game against the Pacers on Friday in the Knicks' home opener. He shot only two threes against the Celtics, who put Jrue Holiday on him. Maybe Indiana will try to take a page out of Boston's book, but the Pacers aren't the elite defensive team that the Celtics are.