Brian Windhorst shares surprising report on Karl-Anthony Towns trade

Jul 9, 2019; Marina del Rey, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns attends the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards at Ritz-Carlton. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks have finally landed an All-Star player in a trade, but the reaction from many teams around the league has reportedly not been what one might expect.

Karl-Anthony Towns was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks last week in a blockbuster deal. New York sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota in the trade. The Knicks also landed Keita Bates-Diop and a Detroit Pistons protected first-round draft pick.

Obviously, the Knicks ended up with the best player in the trade. Despite that, however, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Thursday that executives around the NBA believe the Timberwolves may have been on the better end of the deal.

“I was kind of surprised over the last week at how many executives I talked to who felt like the Timberwolves won this trade, which is not something you would expect to hear when most people would agree the best player in the trade went to the Knicks,” Windhorst said. “I think what they’re reacting to is the way the Wolves were able to rebalance their roster in this trade, get Julius, get DiVincenzo, who helps them off the bench, give Rob Dillingham — their lottery pick — some time where he’s not maybe needed as much out of the gate. Also, reduce their long-term payroll for a guy in (Towns) who had a really big contract.”

"I was kind of surprised … at how many executives I talked to who felt like the Timberwolves won this trade." 👀

—@WindhorstESPN on how Julius Randle and Donte Divencenzo will fit with Anthony Edwards and the Wolves pic.twitter.com/gxKfF3VgCY

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 3, 2024

Towns, 28, is entering the first year of a new four-year, $220 million contract. Minnesota is still set to be above the $188.9 million second apron next season, which carries extremely punitive penalties. They now have an easier path to get below it, however, and saved a significant amount of money by trading Towns.

That probably is not what fans in Minnesota want to hear, but executives have a better understanding of all the ramifications of the trade. Though they no longer have their four-time All-Star big man, the T-Wolves may have set themselves up better for the future.