Knicks take big swing for championship, adding Karl-Anthony Towns
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns drives to the basket last May. Credit: AP/Gareth Patterson
The Knicks this offseason made one thing clear. Do anything to enhance their chances to be championship contenders.
That was clear Friday when they traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns is a four-time All-Star forward in the prime of his career and fresh off a trip to the Western Conference Finals.
It could echo another seismic trade in Knicks history. The November 1971 trade that brought Earl “The Pearl” Monroe from the then-Baltimore Bullets. That trade, of course, propelled the Knicks to two Finals appearances and the 1973 championship.
Monroe became the final piece that extended the Knicks’ run beyond winning the title in 1970. The current Knicks, of course, would love this Towns trade to at least get them to the conference finals, something they haven’t tasted since 2000.
Could it happen? Time will tell. But Towns’ reputation might make fans pause before thinking this is Monroe 2.0.
He’s put up gaudy stats in Minnesota and is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection. His shooting spaces the floor well to complement this roster just like Monroe eased the burden of backcourt mate Walt Frazier.
Yet in the postseason, Towns has been inconsistent. He was excellent, for example, against league MVP Nikola Jokic when the Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets in the second round last season. But Towns also has playoff duds, including games where he’s been foul-prone.
Knicks fans might appreciate that Towns took a backseat to Anthony Edwards because that hints at how he’ll fit on a team led by Jalen Brunson. But it also reminds the Timberwolves got better after drafting Edwards in 2020 which means there’s a ceiling on Towns’ impact.
If fans want a better comparison to the Monroe trade, look no further than three months ago. By trading for Mikal Bridges in June, the Knicks fixed a bigger issue adding a wing who can score when needed and play lockdown defense.
To match the defending champion Celtics, teams need, among other things, wing depth to guard Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Bridges fills that need while also being available, having never missed a game in his NBA career.
It’s too soon to know if Bridges or Towns will have Monroe’s championship impact. But the common link by adding Towns and Monroe is the Knicks are not afraid to take big swings to improve their championship odds.
Time will tell if Towns proves to be that knockout .
Evan Barnes covers the Nets for Newsday. He previously covered Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
