NBA rumors: 1 behind-the-scenes reason for Knicks making Karl-Anthony Towns trade
09/30/2024 07:14 PM
The New York Knicks trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns had one major proponent behind the scenes, as highlighted by NBA insider Marc Stein.
Gersson Rosas, the Knicks senior VP of basketball operations, was formerly with the Timberwolves from 2019 to 2021 as their president of basketball operations.
Stein noted that Rosas is to “have been pushing for a Towns trade even before this summer’s free agent departure of Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson’s subsequent slow recovery from an ankle injury heightened the Knicks’ need for immediate help at center.”
The Knicks traded Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick from Detroit in exchange for KAT. New York’s projected starting-five are Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Towns.
Projecting into the Knicks’ future with this roster
ESPN’s Bobby Marks, while on The Hoop Collective, explained how he’s worried about the team’s depth and limited cap to add any other pieces.
"You look at their depth, and it’s Deuce McBride. You’ve got Tyler Kolek, Cameron Payne. You know, we’ll see what happens in front of the Court. Robinson’s out. You still have Achiuwa. It’s a mixed bag, and you’re so restrictive," Marks said. "You know, when this trade gets finalized, you know they’re going to be a couple hundred thousand, maybe even $100,000 below the second apron."
In trading for Bridges, the Knicks sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, and five first-round draft picks to the Nets. New York gains a three-point shooter in Towns but also loses a great spot shooter in DiVincenzo.
It remains unclear when Mitchell Robinson will return or if the Knicks are possibly shopping him, according to Knicks Film School’s Kris Pursiainen.
After the KAT trade, Robinson took to Instagram to share several posts about his loyalty to the Knicks and his impact on defense.
ClutchPoints’ Drew Maresca may have said it best about a possible Robinson trade.
“The "receiving and taking calls" news is a surprising development for two reasons: Robinson's trade value is lower than the Knicks would like given his string of ankle injuries between December 2023 and May 2024; and more importantly, who would replace Robinson in the team's rotation? Sure, Towns is a seven-footer, but he's far from an ideal defensive center. Conversely, Robinson is a defensive menace, even slowing down former MVP Joel Embiid in last year's playoffs. So, the idea of parting ways with Robinson seems tenuous at best.”
The Knicks’ regular season begins on the road against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
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