SportsRantNY is guided by the mission to blend a fan’s sensibilities with traditional journalistic values. When it comes to the still “unofficial” Karl-Anthony Towns trade, that is easier said than done. Therefore, we are going to look at this trade in two ways.
From a Fan’s Point-of-View
Can you miss something you never had? For 94 days, since word leaked out that the New York Knicks were acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, Knicks fans have been pumped and excited for the 2024-25 season.
Losing Isaiah Hartenstein to Oklahoma City and then Mitchell Robinson to injury hurt, but the assumption was the Knicks would play more small ball with Julius Randle and Precious Achiuwa and wait until the prices came down on backup centers.
Anticipation was heightened by the fact that the “Big 3” of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby played only 12 games together, with the Knicks winning 11 of those 12 games. Adding Bridges and teaming him with his Villanova boys (Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Brunson) seemed almost too good to be true.
Unfortunately, it was.
94 days of joy, jotting lineups on paper, imagining that Randle would find peace in his new secondary role, fantasizing about Jay Wright joining the Knicks coaching staff… and then the plug was pulled before we even got to training camp.
From a Journalistic Point-of-View
Leon Rose was named President of the New York Knicks on March 2, 2020. Other than drafting Obi Toppin over Tyrese Haliburton in his first draft (the Covid November draft), he’s proven to be a shrewd executive. Tom Thibodeau was long rumored to be a future Knicks Head Coach based on his work under Jeff Van Gundy and his expressed love for the franchise. Rose not only hired him, and extended him, but more importantly decided to partner with him. The Knicks began looking for players that would fit the “Thibs” style, making him the north star for personnel decisions.
In 2022, Rose made his signature move acquiring Brunson as a free agent. At the time, it was considered a solid acquisition, but few, if any, thought the Knicks were acquiring a superstar or potential MVP. A couple of months later Rose showed tremendous restraint in not giving in to Utah’s demands for Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is a tremendous talent but duplicates a lot of Brunson’s skills and probably would’ve prevented his ascension.
Two deft free-agent signings highlight the acumen that Rose, his lieutenants and his scouts have brought to the Knicks front office. First, Rose signed Hartenstein on July 12, 2022, and then DiVincenzo on July 8, 2023. Prevailing wisdom was they were depth signings, and few thought these players would breakout in the Knicks 2023-24 season and become fan favorites down the stretch and in their playoff run.
All of this to say, Leon Rose has earned our trust.
The trade is not official, and even when it is, we have no idea if Leon Rose will step to a microphone and talk to the media and fans, but we can surmise that he considers
Karl Anthony Towns a better fit moving forward.
Like Randle, he plays an inside-outside offensive game but is a more consistent 3-point shooter with a lifetime percentage of .398 compared to Randle’s .333. That will help the Knicks with spacing to promote ball movement. The fact that he’s a natural center will help defensively and move Robinson to a bench role in which his injury-prone body is probably better suited.
To upgrade from Randle to Towns, Rose is willing to sacrifice DiVincenzo who set the Knicks record last season for three-pointers made. DiVincenzo’s stock is at his pinnacle, and his role was going to be reduced this season due to the acquisition of his college buddy Bridges. Plus, based on their recent track record, one can assume that the Knicks feel comfortable with an expanded role for Miles McBride and the potential of 2024 draft choices Tyler Kolek, Kevin McCullar, Jr and Pacome Dadiet.
From the outside looking in, the biggest concern is team chemistry. Last year’s team was special, and while Randle only got those 12 games with Anunoby after he was acquired from Toronto, he seemed to have bought in to playing without the ball. AND… there was those 94 days of Wildcat fever for the ‘Nova boys.
Rose and Thibodeau know their locker room, and Thibodeau previously coached Towns. It’s obvious that they are comfortable with this move and think it gets them closer to the goal of winning an NBA Championship.
As a fan, today sucks. We’ve grown to appreciate the scowl on Randle’s face and the flair that the “Big Ragu” plays with, but as a believer in the Knicks brain trust, we are going to maintain the faith that this gets us closer to our desired destination.
Sad but hopeful.
