Tag: Julius Randle

The Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns trade broke up the best way to beat Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets

Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets should be overjoyed about the Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

As long as Nikola Jokic is in his prime and healthy, the Denver Nuggets will likely always be considered one of the NBA’s premier championship contenders.

But winning a title in the NBA is often about ideal matchups. Every team — and this is without exception — has its fatal flaw, an unavoidable kryptonite. A superstar like Jokic is transcendent, but he and his Nuggets teammates are not unbeatable.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves dealt away perennial All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks on Friday night, my first thought went to the status of Jokic and the Nuggets. This is not because Minnesota, Anthony Edwards, and Towns ended the Nuggets’ 2024 season in a dramatic Game 7 in May, but precisely because Towns’ absence means the Timberwolves no longer have the ultimate trump card to overcome Denver’s three-time MVP in a heated postseason setting.

The dreaded, infamous two-big lineup.

With everyone healthy and at their best, Jokic’s Nuggets two most notable playoff losses have come at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2020 Western Conference Finals and to last year’s Timberwolves in the second round.

How both teams primarily beat Denver is no coincidence.

In 2020, the Lakers used a rotation of three bigs featuring Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee to overwhelm Jokic. Jokic is arguably the most skilled center in the league — especially thanks to his all-time floater game. He is a one-man matchup problem who can score at will against sizable NBA defense in isolation or the post as he pleases. However, the Lakers ensured that they always had someone with size and athleticism fronting Jokic while the other forward roamed as a low-man backup in case the initial line of defense was lost.

With an exhausted Jokic still maturing as an All-NBA-caliber player, the Lakers cruised to a five-game series win. Though, Davis had his remarkable individual moments on offense, too:

The two-big lineup is not an unbeatable coverage for Jokic, per se, who has shown he can find a way to the rim and get a quality shot off anyway. But that requires the Serbian star to use a lot more of his energy. This sort of mix wears him down over time. When Jokic is tired and gassed, he’s eventually no longer working tirelessly for quality shots, he’s settling for random 3-pointers, and he’s often even failing to swallow a litany of defensive rebounds his reputation is centered around.

The Nuggets, in effect, are a shell of themselves with Jokic in this state.

The Timberwolves had a near-carbon copy of this equation to defend Jokic. They could use Towns or power forward Naz Reid to front him while four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert roamed, waiting to send over his help defense or to block the shot. To his credit, Jokic still found ways to make an impact against this defensive coverage — his masterful 40-point, 13-assist, seven-rebound effort in Game 5 of the series comes to mind — but again, that takes a lot out of him. And Towns certainly seemed like he challenged Jokic the most of all three defenders.

There’s also a reason the Timberwolves don’t usually prefer putting Gobert on Jokic in single coverage because this is what happens:

By his high standards, after having to metaphorically break his back against Towns, Gobert, and Reid all series, Jokic almost appeared ephemeral in stunning back-to-back losses in Game 6 and 7. It’s because the Timberwolves had the perfect defensive coverage to combat his skill. With all due respect to Julius Randle, he is not nearly the same kind of defender as Towns, let alone as talented.

And if the Timberwolves want to use more of Reid against Jokic while Gobert roams, well, I’ll let the screenshot below from their most recent playoff battle tell the story about how that would likely go:

With Towns out of the picture now, Minnesota got a lot worse against Denver, specifically, as a result.

None of this is to say that the Nuggets’ path through the Western Conference to another NBA championship this season has parted like the Red Sea. The West remains a daunting gauntlet, with juggernaut contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, and yes, even the Timberwolves without Towns, still standing in Denver’s way, among others.

But if you’re Denver, you likely always feel great about your chances in any playoff series the easier Jokic has it. The looser his individual matchups are, the more likely it is the Nuggets will find a way to beat you in a back-and-forth best-of-seven. I would not be shocked to learn that Denver’s front office celebrated this Towns trade just as much as anyone actually involved in the deal. As Denver aims for two titles in three years, this might have been the organization’s biggest move of the offseason, and it didn’t even have to lift a finger.

As it currently stands, no other West championship contender has proven they have the ultimate antidote to trying to beat Jokic. With Towns, the Timberwolves did. But that reality is dead and gone now.

It should be music to the Nuggets’ ears.

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Knicks creatively avoided Karl-Anthony Towns talk while the blockbuster trade is still pending

Karl-Anthony Towns is reportedly headed to the New York Knicks, but the organization is not actually allowed to talk about it quite yet.

Karl-Anthony Towns is reportedly headed to the New York Knicks, but the organization is not actually allowed to talk about it quite yet.

While the trade was reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, it is not yet official. The blockbuster deal will send Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves to the Timberwolves in exchange for the four-time All-Star (who also seemed surprised about the trade).

This massive move will give New York an incredible starting five, but there is one small problem: The organization cannot actually discuss the terms and implications until the league processes the transaction. That usually isn’t a big deal but that comes at a very inconvenient time: Media day.

With so many reporters around the team, they all want to know about Towns. But they are only getting coy, canned answers. Here are a few of them so far:

Jalen Brunson: ‘Don’t know who that is’

Josh Hart: ‘We got KAT?! Oh, wow.’

Tom Thibodeau: ‘Good try’

 

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Two former Kentucky stars were traded for each other on Friday

Former Kentucky basketball stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle were traded for each other Friday.

The NBA is loaded with players who spent their college career with Kentucky basketball. So it was only a matter of time before two of them were traded for each other, which is what happened Friday night with Julus Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The New York Knicks sent Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo along with a first round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Towns. The deal was reported by Shams Charania, who added that DaQuan Jeffries and picks would be going to the Charlotte Hornets as well.

Related: Big Blue Madness tickets sell out in 24 minutes

In one season at Kentucky, Towns was part of a deep run in the NCAA Tournament in 2015, though they came up just short. He averaged over 10 points and 6 rebounds per game.

Randle also spent one season as a Wildcat, in 2013-14. He averaged 15 points and 10.4 rebounds that season, and led them to the championship game.

Now, the two former Wildcats have been traded for each other. Good luck to both of them in their new homes.

The Karl-Anthony Towns trade shows a lack of joined-up thinking

September is supposed to be the month where nothing happens in the NBA. Almost every free agent has been signed, almost every trade has been made, and rosters are set, waiting for training camp to begin. Normally. But not this year. Last night, out …

September is supposed to be the month where nothing happens in the NBA. Almost every free agent has been signed, almost every trade has been made, and rosters are set, waiting for training camp to begin. Normally.

But not this year. Last night, out of absolutely nowhere, it was reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks agreed upon a deal to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future protected first-round pick.

There are whispers before their trades. Normally. But not this time. The news came to the surprise of everyone in and around the NBA, not least of which was Towns himself, whose camp was reported to be “stunned”. Towns, it must be noted, never requested a trade from Minnesota – not now, and not ever. No one outside of the very few in on the deal knew this was coming, or that anything like it was brewing, from Minnesota’s end at least. And when looking at the deal from their end, it is easy to see why this was the assumption.

In HoopsHype’s recent look at the trade assets of every NBA franchise, it was seen how the Wolves had little in their stable to facilitate deals. They had foresworn almost all of their future draft picks – mostly in the July 2022 trade with the Utah Jazz that saw them land Rudy Gobert – in the pursuit of assembling their own version of the Big Three, the three-headed foundation now considered so ubiquitous in NBA roster construction.

Additionally, as seen in our recent look at every team’s luxury tax situation, the Wolves were sporting the largest payroll in their history. With more than $208 million committed in 2024-25 alone, the team was set to have the second-highest payroll in the league, and with their large contracts extending beyond this season, the payroll was going to stay big and quickly become subject to the luxury tax at repeater rates. In tandem, between the lack of draft capital, the payroll expenditure, and the age of the star they had traded it all for, they were thought to be “all in”.

More importantly, it looked like it was working, albeit to relative standards. Fuelled by a rejuvenated Gobert – who won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023-24, his second year with the team – the Wolves won 56 regular season games, their best return in 20 years, and advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history. Gobert still had his fastball, Towns was entering his prime, and the third wheel – Anthony Edwards – only turned 23 over the summer. The journey was imperfect, but it was starting to work.

However, with the future mortgaged, they have gone away from the present. And it is hard to see why.

For a moment, forget everything you know about all the players involved in the deal. Instead, look at the term in purely asset terms. First, look at the financial ramifications.

It is true that the Wolves will be shifting out the substantial $220,441,984 still owed to Karl-Anthony Towns through 2028 through this deal. However, Randle and DiVincenzo combine for $95,845,200 coming back in. The only way to realize the potential salary savings is to let them walk; otherwise, they will need big new contracts, making the financial situation much closer to a push than it appears on first glance.

Secondly, in terms of the assets, the only piece of draft capital coming back is a Top 13 protected 2025 first-round pick from the Detroit Pistons. The protection diminishes until 2027, but given that the Pistons are at the foot at the NBA and not going anywhere any time soon, that pick may never convey. If it does not, Detroit’s 2027 second-round pick will be sent instead. And that makes barely an imprint on the net negative situation that Minnesota has in its draft capital.

And thirdly, look at the ages of the players involved. 28 years old going out, 29 and 27 coming back in. This is not a timeline-changer. This trade was about the present day. This trade was about this season, This trade was about the “now”.

Reductive though it may seem, the value in looking first at the trade in this detached way is simply because Towns is, indisputably, the best player in it. Arguments can be made that Randle might prove to be a better fit alongside Gobert, and that DiVincenzo – who hit the third-most three-pointers in the NBA last season behind only Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic, and who had ascended to Star Role Player status – is not a piece to be overlooked.

Arguments can also be made that the loss of Towns will in part be offset by an expanded role for Naz Reid, who has developed into an excellent modern offensive big. This is true enough; Reid is good.

But as things stand, after going all in to create a Big Three, the Wolves have stepped back to a Big Two And A Bit, without meaningfully replenishing the assets cupboard and keeping the oldest one of the three. If the trade from Minnesota’s perspective is indeed one of the “now”, then it bears a mention that that “now” will rely upon the health of a currently-injured (and often-injured) Randle, a talented player who has never had optimum deployment of said talents, except for that one anomalous year when he shot like Kevin Durant somehow. This is quite a huge question mark to trade a perennial All-Star seven-footer for.

What is indisputably true is that the Knicks are a better team than they were last week. They have been aggressive for a while, and that aggression has brought them a front four of Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. That lineup really needed a center, particularly in the wake of the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein and the continuing injury problems of Mitchell Robinson. And they did not get just any center; they got an elite one, entering his prime years, for the cost of a flawed star they were going to play out of position anyway, a pick that may never convey, and a solid role player who nonetheless was likely to be jockeying for court time with Josh Hart. We might not have known that the Knicks were going to do this deal, but now that they have, we certainly know why they did.

Can we say the same about the Timberwolves?

Pair of Kentucky basketball legends traded for each other in NBA blockbuster

A pair of NBA All-Stars and former Kentucky Wildcats were traded for each other in a blockbuster deal Friday evening.

A stunning blockbuster trade late in the NBA offseason involves a pair of Kentucky Wildcats, with the New York Knicks sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.

Minnesota also receives a protected first round pick, while the Charlotte Hornets are a third party in the trade, receiving draft compensation to help make the financial aspects of the trade even out.

Towns and Randle are two of the seven NBA All-Stars from last season who played college basketball at Kentucky, alongside Tyrese Maxey, Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Bam Adebayo.

Towns was a consensus All-American at Kentucky in the 2014-15 season, averaging 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game while leading the Wildcats to the Final Four. He became the first player selected in the 2015 NBA draft and averaged 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds across his career in Minnesota, and now joins a Knicks team desperately in need of a true center.

Meanwhile, Randle was at Kentucky just one season before Towns, also earning All-American honors while averaging 15 points and 10.4 rebounds for coach John Calipari’s club. The forward was picked seventh in the 20214 NBA draft, and has made three All-Star appearances while with the Knicks.

The trade unfortunately ends the “Villanova Knicks” dream. The Knicks rostered DiVincenzo, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart last season – all Villanova alumni – and over the offseason acquired another Nova star in Mikal Bridges. With DiVincenzo heading to Minnesota in the trade, all four former Wildcats won’t get to suit up together in the Big Apple after all.

Timberwolves roster after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade: Here’s the depth chart and starting 5 for 2024-25

Here’s what the lineup and depth chart looks like.

The New York Knicks made a big move trading for Karl-Anthony Towns, but the Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t just get back nothing.

The Western Conference contenders will now roster former All-Star Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who had a career year for the Knicks. And let’s remember this is a contending T-Wolves team that has a budding superstar and one of the best defensive centers in all of the NBA.

So it’s a good time to review the roster and look at their depth chart and starting five as the season approaches. Here’s what it all looks like on paper, post-KAT trade:

The Timberwolves starting five

Mike Conley

Anthony Edwards

Jaden McDaniels

Julius Randle

Rudy Gobert

It’s presumed that Randle will start and Naz Reid will come off the bench. DiVincenzo slots in as a backup.

The Timberwolves depth chart

PG: Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Daishen Nix

SG: Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Terrence Shannon Jr.

SF: Jaden McDaniels, Joe Ingles

PF: Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Leonard Miller, PJ Dozier

C: Rudy Gobert, Luke Garza

Reid can play forward or center in certain lineups, and the second unit suddenly looks stronger. Randle can also play when Edwards sits given the styles they play.

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2014 NBA redraft has Sixers selecting Julius Randle No. 3 overall

A redraft of 2014 has the Philadelphia 76ers selecting Julius Randle with the No. 3 overall pick.

The 2014 NBA draft was an important one for the Philadelphia 76ers. After a 19-63 season, the Sixers were looking to finally get the franchise cornerstone they needed.

With the No. 3 pick, the Sixers found that guy: Joel Embiid. The big fella missed the first two seasons of his career due to foot injuries. Since then, Embiid has turned into one of the best players to ever play for the Sixers.

A redraft of 2014 put together by the folks at HoopsHype has Embiid going No. 2 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Therefore, the Sixers select Julius Randle in the redraft at No. 3:

Despite a standout lone season at Kentucky, Julius Randle still took a slight tumble on draft night to No. 7 due to a perceived lack of outside shooting and his unwillingness to pass the ball in college. Few could have imagined how Randle would have blossomed in the NBA, as he’s actually now a plus-playmaker out of the frontcourt, a respectable outside shooter and an All-Star-level power forward overall.

Randle blossomed into an All-Star player in this league and won the Most Improved Player award in 2021. He has been an important piece for the New York Knicks and one has to assume he would have had a similar impact and trajectory with the Sixers.

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Bulls Trade Ideas: Should Chicago consider a Julius Randle trade?

Could the Chicago Bulls consider a trade for New York Knicks forward Julius Randle this offseason?

As the Chicago Bulls look to reshape the roster this summer, they need to consider all their options. They could look to win now, but at the same time, they should be hoping to add assets that will help them move forward into the future. One name that could be brought up in potential trade talks this offseason is Julius Randle of the New York Knicks.

Whether or not the Bulls want to get in on the Randle sweepstakes is yet to be seen, but considering they are looking to move on from Zach LaVine, the Knicks could be a potential landing spot.

Randle would give the Bulls some forward help, but his lack of consistent three-point shooting wouldn’t be a huge boost to their offense. That said, his rebounding and playmaking could help.

Meanwhile, LaVine would give the Knicks another perimeter shot creator to help take the load off Jalen Brunson, but his defensive concerns wouldn’t fit into Tom Thibodeau’s culture.

Conclusion: A LaVine-for-Randle deal doesn’t make too much sense for either side.

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Former Wildcats forward Julius Randle will have season-ending surgery

Former Wildcat Julius Randle will have season-ending surgery

In a season where much has been made of the former Kentucky Wildcats success in the NBA, some bad news had to happen at some point. It was announced on Thursday that former Cats, and current New York Knicks forward Julius Randle would have surgery on his shoulder and miss the rest of the season.

Randle originally hurt his shoulder back in January, when it was dislocated during a drive and fall to the floor. He has been rehabbing the shoulder, hoping to get back and make an impact for the Knicks.

New York will certainly feel Julius Randle’s absence. He was averaging 24 points and 9 rebounds per game, and was an All-star this season.

Originally, Randle opted to just rehab the shoulder and try to be back before the playoffs. However, doctors determined that surgery was necessary to repair it fully.

The Knicks are 15 – 14 since Randle was hurt, and are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. The team’s offense has scored less with their star forward out.

Randle was a one-and-done player at Kentucky for the 2013-14 season. He averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Cats, and was a third-team All-American.

14 most surprising omissions (Tyrese Maxey!) from the 2024 USA Basketball men’s player pool

Unless these players denied invitations, these are some very shocking decisions by Team USA.

USA Basketball announced a 41-athlete player pool as candidates for the Paris Olympics roster. Eventually, 12 players will make the final cut.

Among the 12 names that we initially projected to make the roster after the 2023 FIBA World Cup, 11 appeared on the first list. Those players were LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo, Anthony Edwards and Mikal Bridges.

A few notable All-Stars to also earn invitations include Chris Paul, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, Jrue Holiday, De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jarrett Allen.

The other players were Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Jalen Brunson, Alex Caruso, Aaron Gordon, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Chet Holmgren, Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson and Derrick White.

Two players who we did not include in our surprising omissions were Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. While both of these players may have helped the team on the court, they have faced off-court issues that made invitations unlikely — plus Morant is currently injured.

Otherwise, these were the most surprising omissions from the list: