We only thought the New York Knicks' offseason was over. The front office traded for Mikal Bridges in June; what more could the Knicks do? Trade for Karl-Anthony Towns wasn't on the list.
New York sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a protected first-round pick to Minnesota for Towns. Shams Charania reported on Tuesday night that the Hornets will receive three second-round picks (one from the Timberwolves), DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown, and Duane Washington Jr. New York will receive the draft rights to James Nnaji, the no. 31 pick in the 2023 draft.
KAT can't practice with the Knicks at training camp until the trade is completed. New York has its first preseason game in less than a week. The regular season starts on Oct. 22. The fans questioning the trade don't have to wait long to see how Towns fits in with the Knicks. Let's be clear — plenty of people think the trade could age poorly.
One of those people is Austin Rivers, who spent the first half of the 2020-21 season in New York. Ironically enough, the last time he played in the NBA was in 2022-23 with Minnesota. He joined ESPN's NBA crew last October. He's a frequent guest on podcasts and gives his opinion on happenings around the league.
Rivers thinks that Knicks' trade for Karl-Anthony Towns will age poorly
Rivers was recently a guest on 'The Bill Simmons Podcast.' He and Simmons discussed the KAT trade and the Knicks' legacy of trading for the wrong stars. Simmons said the front office "talked itself into the glass half full version of a guy that if it doesn't work out, you're f*****." Rivers agreed and gave a harsher critique.
"They make this trade, and it's like, 'Here we go again. Is this going to work?' Now we're here. DiVincenzo was a big part of his team; he's gone. Julius was a guy — you can stay whatever you want — but he put in 25 a night. This is a big risk. Karl, like we said, is the personality.. is it going to work with him and Thibs first and foremost? Let alone the environment of playing for the Knicks."
Simmons was right when he said that if the trade doesn't work out, it'll be hard for New York to move off KAT's contract. Look at Chicago and Zach LaVine. The CBA complicates everything.
The Knicks are known for making the wrong trade at the wrong time. Plenty of fans think that the Towns trade could go up in smoke. Will this be another stain on the organization?
There's reason to believe otherwise. Leon Rose and the current regime make calculated moves. It's hard for some fans (and even Rivers) to see the vision, but you have to let it play out. It's too early to write off New York. This could be the move that pushes the Knicks over the championship hump. Or at least, that's what the front office hopes.