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Jazz Future Pick Watch: Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing a trade to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo

Saint Cy of JFC said:
They faced reality and dealt with it ahead of time. Tough pill to swallow because the trade overall probably makes a ring in 2025 less likely, but overall I think it was probably a wise choice.
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Definitely a difficult decision to make. If KAT played well in the playoffs, that was probably their most realistic shot at a title. Hell, if he was just average against DAL they are probably in the finals.

But Randle isn’t totally devoid of upside either. I actually think they needed some more on ball juice. Ant was overextended, and while I’ve learned to never doubt Conley, he is probably not enough as a secondary ball handler in the playoffs. Randle can maybe relieve some of that burden in addition to DDV continuing to expand his game.

It’s possible that they could have found a better deal for KAT elsewhere, but this is really solid imo. They maintain some championship probability this year while being in a much better financial position going forward.
 
The Wolves have some more depth with DD. I don't think this trade moves the needle a ton for either team on the floor but big picture The Wolves will have more money to play with when it comes to signing guys.
 
kabenac said:
The Wolves have some more depth with DD. I don't think this trade moves the needle a ton for either team on the floor but big picture The Wolves will have more money to play with when it comes to signing guys.
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I dont think they have any money to sign guys for the foreseeable future (outside of MLE type deals, which may be fruitful next year) unless they move on from Gobert's contract. It just frees them from tax hell and makes future trades easier.
 
idiot said:
I've seen things saying that Finch knows/likes Randle from their days together with Pelicans, as well.
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He's undeniably talented. Maybe they can retain him for a good price given how bad the market will be with teams with a lot of space. He might get squeezed a bit if he opts out.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Randle will have months were he is shooting 36%+ on crazy volume from 3 then months where he shoots like 30%. Peak Randle might look better than KAT for the Wolves, but the on/off nature of his shot could bury the Wolves in a key series.

But then again, that's what happened with KAT in the Dallas series.
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Meh it's not even as much about comparing them 1:1 as players, KAT fit better with their roster construction. Spaced the floor and gave them a ton of size on both ends. A McDaniels/Randle/Gobert front court spacing will be horrendous and he will take the ball out of Ant's hands
 
kabenac said:
The Wolves have some more depth with DD. I don't think this trade moves the needle a ton for either team on the floor but big picture The Wolves will have more money to play with when it comes to signing guys.
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They're going to have a ton of money tied up into Ant/Reid/McDaniels and it's not like they're signing anyone elite in free agency.
 
I really hate this trade for the Wolves. I was hoping they'd get far in the playoffs and now this looks like it'll be a disaster waiting to happen
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
He's undeniably talented. Maybe they can retain him for a good price given how bad the market will be with teams with a lot of space. He might get squeezed a bit if he opts out.
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He puts up stats for sure but he doesn't really contribute to winning basketball. He has only been on 2 playoff teams in 10 years and was god awful in both postseasons. The Knicks were actually better without him last year.

Don't really see the value in retaining him either. They've clearly prioritized Naz Reid and I don't really think Reid/Randle/McDaniels fit together long term. Naz/Edwards/Jaden are 25 and 23 too while Randle will be 30 this season and doesn't really fit their window.
 
The more I think of this trade the more I hate it for the Knicks

Did they ruin their defense by committing to KAT at the 5? Is KAT going to get exposed away from Gobert? Are they going to play KAT/Robinson at the 4/5 because they realize they cant stop anyone with KAT in the playoffs?

I think the Jazz will be targeting Mikal/OG sometime in the next 2 years when the Knicks have to shed money.
 
Biggest win for the Wolves... FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY because apparently they lost a lot of money in spite of a deep run in to the playoffs and they were going to be a second apron team.

Biggest loss for the wolves... SPACING. KAT spread the floor and basically played like a stretch 4 next to Gobert. Randle doesn't do that. Reid does, but that's an expensive 6th man if Randle comes off the bench. Ant is a decent 3 point shooter but his strength is in the paint. Donte stretches the floor but the twin towers thing was pretty lethal.
 
The Jazz Wonderbra said:
Biggest win for the Wolves... FINANCIAL FLEXIBILITY because apparently they lost a lot of money in spite of a deep run in to the playoffs and they were going to be a second apron team.

Biggest loss for the wolves... SPACING. KAT spread the floor and basically played like a stretch 4 next to Gobert. Randle doesn't do that. Reid does, but that's an expensive 6th man if Randle comes off the bench. Ant is a decent 3 point shooter but his strength is in the paint. Donte stretches the floor but the twin towers thing was pretty lethal.
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Team shouldn't be focused on financial flexibility coming off of a WCF appearance in what looks like a potential championship window
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
The more I think of this trade the more I hate it for the Knicks

Did they ruin their defense by committing to KAT at the 5? Is KAT going to get exposed away from Gobert? Are they going to play KAT/Robinson at the 4/5 because they realize they cant stop anyone with KAT in the playoffs?

I think the Jazz will be targeting Mikal/OG sometime in the next 2 years when the Knicks have to shed money.
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It will be interesting. Thibs is obviously a great defensive coach, so it seems like he'll make it work. Having two elite defensive wings should help.
 
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