Just when the NBA world thought that it would be hunkering down for radio silence until training camp begins in October, Shams Charania dropped an absolute atomic bomb that practically erased the news of Adrian Wojnarowski's retirement. The New York Knicks traded Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
New York will also reportedly send Daquan Jeffries, additional salary pieces, and draft compensation to the Charlotte Hornets to make the money work in the deal. This move will undoubtedly have tremendous effects on the entirety of the NBA, as this was an interconference swap, and the New Orleans Pelicans are no exception.
This rare trade saw two contending hopefuls exchange major pieces of their core, All-Stars. It's always a dangerous gambit to try to declare a definitive winner or loser of a deal right away. But, for two reasons, one major and one subtle, the New Orleans Pelicans might wind up as big beneficiaries of this trade.
The Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle trade will help the New Orleans Pelicans for two reasons
1. Major: Minnesota Timberwolves are getting worse
Initial reactions from fans and analysts of the NBA have the Minnesota Timberwolves as the losers of this trade. While Karl-Anthony Towns has had plenty of detractors throughout his tenure with the Wolves, Julius Randle might be the most resented All-Star in the modern era, and a lot of his haters were staunch supporters of the Knicks.
KAT and Randle are actually similar players in a lot of ways. Both are offensive-minded big men who are major liabilities on the other end of the court. Both have received a lot of scrutiny in the past for shrinking under the brightest lights. Both are probably quite underrated by general consensus.
But, unfortunately for Minnesota, some of Randle's weaknesses that differ from KAT's will likely make him a worse fit in the Twin City. KAT's claims that he's the greatest shooting big man in the history of the game might be a little optimistic, but he's a much better and more proven marksman than Randle.
Towns's worst deep shooting season came in his rookie year when he hit just 34 percent of his triples. Since then, he's never dipped below 36 percent from three, eight seasons in a row, including five campaigns in which he hit north fo 40 percent. Randle, on the other hand, only has two seasons where he hit over 34 percent of his trey-balls, and he barely cleared the mark in both.
Randle also needs the ball a lot more than KAT to be effective on offense. He's had a usage rating of 29 or more in three of the last four seasons with the Knicks. Towns has only had one season in his entire career with a usage rate higher than 29, and it was Anthony Edwards's rookie year in 2020-21. This trade could wind up taking opportunities away from Anthony Edwards and the rest of the Wolves budding young players.
While both have fittingly gained reputations as poor defenders, Towns has been much-improved as a stopper in recent years. He still has the occasional lapse and is pretty heavy-footed when tasked with guarding on the perimeter, but his effort and positioning have become positives in the past few seasons.
The Wolves do gain a fantastic role player in Donte DiVincenzo who will bring solid perimeter defense and microwave shooting from deep to their bench. But, DiVincenzo's added production won't be enough to make up for the downgrade they'll be getting in Randle instead of KAT.
2. Subtle: Karl-Anthony Towns has been a killer against the New Orleans Pelicans
Every playoff team in the Western Conference should be happy with the news, as they should have an easier time against the Wolves after this deal. But, the Pelicans should be especially elated, because Karl-Anthony Towns has been an absolute problem for New Orleans.
With their starting frontcourt featuring Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas, KAT was able to torch the Pelicans on a regular basis. In their last 13 meetings, Towns has averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 44 percent from deep.
In that same period, Randle has matched up with New Orleans six times, averaging just 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 39 percent shooting, including 40 percent from three. There's a chance that he could prove his doubters wrong and thrive on the Wolves, but it seems likely that the New Orleans Pelicans will have an easier time against Minnesota after the trade.