With Mitchell Robinson (ankle) expected to be sidelined until December of January and Isaiah Hartenstein now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the New York Knicks were headed into training camp in a bad spot regarding post depth. That changed on Friday night, as it was reported that New York would acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves.
In exchange for the four-time All-Star, the Knicks are giving up Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round pick (via Detroit). Also, Charlotte will reportedly acquire DaQuan Jeffries and future draft picks from the Knicks. As was the case with last year’s Damian Lillard trade, this is a transaction that will have a major impact on fantasy basketball.
Knicks acquire: Karl-Anthony Towns
There’s no denying that Towns has been a productive offensive weapon since entering the NBA in 2015, averaging 20.8 points or more in each of the last eight seasons. In 62 games last season, he tallied 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.2 3-pointers in 32.7 minutes, shooting 50.4% from the field and 87.3% from the foul line. That per-game production placed Cities just outside the top 40 in 9-cat value and just inside that threshold in 8-cat. In terms of totals, KAT finished outside the top 50 due to availability.
A move to New York should remove the glass ceiling on Towns’ fantasy value after sharing the floor with Rudy Gobert for the past two seasons. Prior to that trade, CAT had provided first-round per-game value in 9-cat formats for seven straight years. Look for him to return to that level of production, with availability being the ongoing concern. Over the past five seasons, Towns has surpassed 50 games twice: 2021-22 (74) and 2023-24 (62). It’s imperative that he stays healthy for fantasy reasons and to ensure the Knicks stay on track in their quest to sit among the elite in the Eastern Conference.
As for who else this impacts from a fantasy standpoint, Robinson’s already low value takes a major hit. Despite Towns’ recent injury history, there isn’t much to be gained from covering up for MitchRob, given his health issues. Trading Randle frees up minutes at power forward, though Tom Thibodeau can keep Josh Hart in the starting lineup. In that scenario, he would join Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, boosting Hart’s value due to his ability to contribute in multiple categories. A valuable Achiuwa, who made all of his starts last season at forward, could experience a bump in minutes to fill out the rotation, but he’s likely worth a late-round flyer at best.
Timberwolves acquire: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round pick via Detroit
While Minnesota reached the conference finals for the first time in 20 years last season, the price of keeping a contending team together was very expensive. Gobert is considered immovable, making Towns (and his strong contract) the player to watch. In return for KAT, the Timberwolves add two proven players who will slide right into the rotation. In Randle’s case, there were questions about offensive spacing between him and Anthony Edwards. For this to work, Julius needs to return to 2022-23 levels in terms of 3-point attempts (8.3 per game).
During that season, he only shot 34.3% and is a career 33.3% shooter from deep, but keeping driving lanes open for Edwards is crucial. Randle’s usage shouldn’t suffer much, but the isolation opportunities are down. The 2023-24 campaign was the first time Randle had not played at least 64 games since his rookie season.
As for DiVincenzo, he will have value in Minnesota despite coming off the bench. The second unit needs shooting, and he can certainly provide it. DiVincenzo averaged 3.5 3-pointers per game last season, making 40.1% of his attempts. The “Big Ragu” was a top 75 fantasy player as his role proved to be bigger than many expected before the season started. DiVincenzo may not be a player worth a top-100 pick in standard league drafts, but he’s not someone to overlook.
Towns’ departure likely means more time in the center position for Naz Reid, who played just 20% of his minutes at five last season, according to Cleaning the Glass. By comparison, Reid played 84% or more of his minutes at center in each of the four seasons prior. The offensive ability is unquestionable; whether or not Reid can do more defensively will determine whether or not he becomes a more significant asset to fantasy managers.
