Grade the Trade: Knicks abandon Randle by adding All-NBA big in 3-team blockbuster

So much for starting Jericho Sims.

The New York Knicks have known they needed to bolster the center position since the early days of free agency, when Isaiah Hartenstein signed a massive contract in Oklahoma City that the Knicks literally couldn't match. That need intensified in the last few days as it was reported that center Mitchell Robinson was going to miss multiple months of the regular season rehabbing from surgery earlier in the year.

Suddenly the Knicks were staring down the prospect of starting raw center Jericho Sims and bringing the undersized Precious Achiuwa in behind him. Perhaps Tom Thibodeau would move outside of his comfort zone and start a non-traditional 5, be that OG Anunoby in all-wing lineups or Julius Randle as a smallball 5.

The Knicks decided they didn't want to go down that road, pulling off a surprise blockbuster late Friday night. With no Adrian Wojnarowski there to break the news, Shams Charania had an unimpeded platform to share the shocking news: Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns were being traded for one another.

It was not surprising that the Knicks ended up trading Randle to address the center position; Randle had grown somewhat expendable after the additions of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, and given the league's new salary-matching rules his salary was the only real avenue to finding a deal for a real upgrade.

What were the details of the trade? And were the Knicks right to make it? Let's dig a little deeper to answer both questions.

Laying out the Trade

The Minnesota Timberwolves are an expensive team.

With over $100 million committed just to the center position, the Timberwolves were fielding a monumentally expensive roster heading into next season. To their credit they seemed willing to pay for it after a run to the Conference Finals last season, but on top of the cash commitment certainly team-building restrictions come into play.

That meant the Wolves could only send out one player in a deal at a time, and they had to send out more salary than they took back. If they were going to make a meaningful transaction they almost had to move Towns, as the onetime Kentucky big man is on a significant, expensive deal.

That's all well and good, except for the fact that the New York Knicks, if they were to trade with the Wolves, would also need to send out more salary than they took in, as they locked themselves in under the first apron earlier this offseason. This trade essentially demands a third team to take in some salary from the deal.

That team was Charlotte completing the triangle of teams for this trade. Here is what the trade looks like as currently reported (subscription required):

For the Hornets, they likely get a second-round pick thrown their way for absorbing some money. They had room under the luxury tax for such a move, so they were able to get an asset for nearly free.

The Minnesota Timberwolves shed a lot of money off of their books, both in luxury tax this year and financial flexibility moving forward. They get a player in Randle who can approximate much of Towns' role on the Wolves at the 4, and a bomber in Donte DiVincenzo who provides necessary backcourt depth.

What about the Knicks - were they right to make this trade?

Grade the Trade - Was this the right move for the Knicks?

The Knicks needed a center, and a center they got -- an extremely expensive one with a shaky history with Tom Thibodeau. At the same time, Towns is the ultimate answer to a need at center, a sharpshooting big who unlocks something special for the New York offense.

Defensively come some massive question marks; not so much a comparison of Towns to Randle, but of Towns with every other center the Knicks have played since Thibs arrived. The Minnesota Timberwolves were so disillusioned with Towns' defense that they traded for an All-Defense center in Rudy Gobert. Can the Knicks convince themselves they have the defensive perimeter players to make such a move possible?

Donte DiVincenzo was a really good player, one who fit their team culture like a glove and spaced the court in a way no other Knicks player is comfortable doing. He will be missed. It's somewhat shocking to see him go as the first member removed from the Villanova gang.

Julius Randle has meant a lot to this franchise, but the writing was on the wall. For them to reach their ceiling, they needed to move on from Randle. Doing so in this fashion, however, to add a non-rim-protecting center who makes $49 million this season and a total of $220 million over four seasons, seems reckless and shocking.

It's a play on talent, that Towns has enough to outweigh the defensive and financial concerns. Will it be the correct one? That remains to be seen. If you were ever going to insulate him on a team it would be one with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges alongside him.

This seems like a deal that peddles in the names of stars but may not move the needle significantly for the Knicks. It's a massive financial commitment and lowers their defensive ceiling. Was it worth it? Not from this point of view.

Grade: B-