TRADE: KAT to NYK | Randle+ Divencenzo to MIN

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@ShamsCharania
The Knicks are nearing a trade to send package around Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski

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@YossiGozlan
The New York Knicks still need to send out an additional $8.8 million. They can't take back more salary than they're sending out since they're over the $178.1 million first apron.

However, the Minnesota Timberwolves also cannot take more money than they're sending out.

A third team must be involved.

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@IanBegley
Detroit, Atlanta, Miami among the other teams NYK talked to about trades of Julius Randle, per SNY sources. MIN slashes its future payroll by acquiring Randle, who can be an FA this summer. Knicks get big man they’ve long had on radar in Karl Towns.

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@ByTimReynolds
Talked to KAT for a story two days ago. He was speaking in the best possible way about the Wolves' hopes this season. There's no way he saw this coming.

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@JakeLFischer
The Knicks were canvassing the league this week in search of center improvements, sources said, and made it known Julius Randle was available. While New York had interest in additions like Clint Capela, Karl-Anthony Towns is one hell of an answer to Mitchell Robinson’s injury.

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@BobbyMarks42
As part of the trade, Minnesota is receiving a 2025 top-13 protected first from Detroit, sources tell ESPN.

The Knicks had previously acquired the first in a previous trade.

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@JakeLFischer
There was also a lot of mutual interest between Donte DiVincenzo and the Timberwolves last summer, sources said, before the Villanova product decided to join New York in free agency

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@YossiGozlan
The Minnesota Timberwolves stand to save $26.5 million in payroll and luxury tax penalties if they don't take on any additional salaries in this trade.

They are still set to be over the $188.9 million second apron this season. They're $14.5 million above it with 15 players.

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@TimBontemps
Charlotte is going to be the third team in this blockbuster Knicks-Wolves trade, sources told ESPN.

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@ShamsCharania
Knicks are sending salary -- including DaQuan Jeffries -- and draft compensation to Charlotte in three-team Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle deal, sources tell me and
@JonKrawczynski
.

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@JonKrawczynski
The word from the Towns camp is this: “Stunned.”

Nine years with the Wolves. Impeccable in the community. All-Star and All-NBA. Now a New York Knick.

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@ShamsCharania
Knicks are sending salary -- including DaQuan Jeffries -- and draft compensation to Charlotte in three-team Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle deal, sources tell me and
@JonKrawczynski
.

@KeithSmithNBA
Not sure how S&Ting DaQuan Jeffries really helps. He's not currently on the roster for New York, so that doesn't fully change the math here.

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@ramonashelburne
Karl-Anthony Towns is “still processing” this trade, according to a source close to him. But it’s worth nothing Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has been publicly very complimentary of him since he left Minnesota—something that’s been noted by Towns.

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I leave my computer for an hour and one of the biggest trades of the summer breaks

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First reactions:
holy shit the Wolves actually did it
does NYK get better with this…?
Did the Wolves somehow get worse…?

[F Gump]

As stunning as this feels, on further reflection it's not much of a shocker after all. It was OBVIOUS that Minny had to trade KAT and get whatever they could, because the salary jump was impossible to handle -- and his was such a bloated salary that it was hard to see them getting talent in return.

So the fact that the Wolves are getting Randle, DiVicenco, and a pick seems like a huge win to me. I'm not a big fan of Randle, but he's productive, and DD is very useful, The pick will also be of value (unless it melts into nothingness due to protections).

It will be interesting to see KAT's game value when he is used in a different setting. (My personal bias: he is suffering from a lethal case of "Center Who Wants to Be a Guard" that seems permanent.) But if anyone can get more out of him, I'd think Thibs might be the guy with his no-nonsense approach.

[SleepingHero]

As stunning as this feels, on further reflection it's not much of a shocker after all. It was OBVIOUS that Minny had to trade KAT and get whatever they could, because the salary jump was impossible to handle -- and his was such a bloated salary that it was hard to see them getting talent in return.

You're 100% right here. I remember right after elimination we had ARod and several other Wolves execs leaking that they were looking into trading KAT but because they made the WCF that its hard to justify it at the current moment. That to me was a signal that they'll give it 1 more season with this current core and run it back. There was definitely an expiration date with this current version of the Wolves and KAT made the most sense to be dangled but what they got in return was puzzling to me.

So the fact that the Wolves are getting Randle, DiVicenco, and a pick seems like a huge win to me. I'm not a big fan of Randle, but he's productive, and DD is very useful, The pick will also be of value (unless it melts into nothingness due to protections).

Randle really makes no sense on this MIN team. The spacing between him and Gobert is putrid. He is a mega iso player that enjoys barreling down the lane spamming spin move after spin move to get to the basket. How does that look with Gobert eating up all the space in the middle? And if they are forced to play Reid instead of Gobert, then MIN defense takes a dive according to the numbers. To me that addition alone amplifies all of MIN weaknesses and diminishes their strengths.

Divencenzo is a great get though. Much needed shooting at a position of need. Kind of buries their lotto pick that they just got but who cares on a team that was supposed to be vying for the finals next year.

It will be interesting to see KAT's game value when he is used in a different setting. (My personal bias: he is suffering from a lethal case of "Center Who Wants to Be a Guard" that seems permanent.) But if anyone can get more out of him, I'd think Thibs might be the guy with his no-nonsense approach.

I'm with you here though ultimately. Thibs had the opportunity to coach KAT in Minny for 3 years and the defense was bottom 5 in the league each year. But now Thibs has probably his dream win rotation with Hart/OG/Bridges. That trio alone might be enough to hide KAT from whatever.

Still, KAT struggled the entire playoffs being weakside help and got faked out of his shoes from Luka's passing ability. You can't really hide that no matter the wing defenders you put around him.

[F Gump]

SH, re your notes on Randle --
1 Worst case scenario seems like they let him walk in 2025 and enjoy the salary savings. This deal alone essentially washes the bloated KAT salary, which was their goal. But ...
2 Why wouldn't they now try to find a taker for JR asap, by looking for a team who needs a scorer/star at a relatively accommodating price? Maybe try to get back a pick, and a useful role player piece with a smaller salary (along with some cheap discardable parts)?

[F Gump]

@KeithSmithNBA
Not sure how S&Ting DaQuan Jeffries really helps. He's not currently on the roster for New York, so that doesn't fully change the math here.

Looking at Spotrac post-trade salaries for NY, it appears that the Knicks had cap flexibility to end up with the payroll that results from KAT for Randle/DD, but the issue was the trade itself didn't match. The end payroll result has NY with room to keep player 14 and then landing around 188.1M. They can't cross the 2nd apron of 189.931M.

The trade match itself for NY requires a dollar-for-dollar match, so they need to send out another 9M or so.

It looks like DQJ is getting a really nice contract out of the deal for a scrub player. CHA is over the cap, but best guess is they will be using their 7.983M Room MLE as a TPE under the new rules. That's still about $1M short of a match, so they will need to send a player off their roster that isn't newly signed, who CHA can also take legally. My guess is Bates-Diop (minimum salary) is the other player, while DQJ gets the bulk of the $7.983M room MLE, whatever is the smallest remainder it takes to make the KAT trade legal. That number will be around 6.2M if my math is correct.

I also suspect CHA will get the WAS 1st rounder owed to NY for eating all this ugly salary. It has modest protections (its best outcome would be a pick near the bottom of the lottery in 25 or 26).