Hello, welcome to Court Vision and Cash Decisions, a new series written by Steven Bagell and Corban Ford where they break down every significant transaction in the NBA! Corban articulates the on-court fit of players involved in a trade, while Steven provides the financial ramifications of each move from a front office perspective! First, Steven and Corban begin this series bringing down the Karl-Anthony Towns trade to the New York Knicks. 

Corban:

The trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks was the classic NBA blockbuster: huge, seemingly out of nowhere, and with a ton to unpack both now and in the future. Let’s start with the full breakdown of what is a still pending (but ultimately done deal) trade:
New York receives: Karl-Anthony Towns, draft rights to James Nnaji

Minnesota receives: Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, 2025 first-round pick (via Detroit, top-13 protected)

Charlotte receives: DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown, Duane Washington Jr., three second round picks
For New York: With the loss of Mitchell Robinson until at least January, and…not a whole lot available to hold the center position, the Knicks made a move that was long rumored but never truly expected to come to fruition, acquiring the four-time NBA all-star over the weekend. There’s a lot to be said about this move and whether it was necessary, but one thing can be made objectively clear from the jump: KarlaAnthony Towns is the best player involved in this deal. Coming off of a season where he averaged nearly 22 points per game on 50/41/87 splits, Towns slots in as the “1B” to Jalen Brunson’s “1A” alongside the talented core of Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby. Although he played as the power forward alongside Rudy Gobert in Minnesota, Towns will slide right into the five, where his supreme floor spacing ability, rebounding, and deft passing will help to bind several different lineup combinations for coach Tom Thibodeau. Speaking of coach Thibs, this is a bit of a reunion for the two, after several tumultuous years in Minnesota from 2016-2019. Word on the street is that time has healed old wounds, and while that is welcome news, it remains to be seen just how versatile Thibodeau has become in the ensuing years with a big man of Towns skillset, especially after the type of rebounding, rim rolling bigs he has become accustomed to in his time in New York.
A lingering concern I have is the depth of this Knicks squad, which is pretty thin at the center spot. Towns has missed at least 22 games in each of the last three seasons, and there is no reason to assume that this season will be any different. If (read when) he is out for a stretch of games, and with no Robinson, who steps in for NY? Do they commit to the small-ball game? Is it time for (gulp) Hart at the five? That thought gives me cause for pause along with the fact that the Knicks draft capital is severely depleted, with even more being lost to acquire Towns in the first place. Time will tell if my concerns are misplaced, and if so then to what degree, but this is my headspace at this moment.

For Minnesota: um…ok? I definitely struggle to be optimistic about this move from the Timberwolves’ side, moreso because the logic of it evades me outside of the financial details. Sending out Towns and bringing in Randle/DiVincenzo makes the wolves cheaper in the immediate term; Towns’ contract jumps up a ton next season (the number is $49.2 million.to  be exact) comparatively, next season Randle holds a $30.9 player option and DiVincenzo will be on a deal netting $11.9 million. I’m not a math major, but it’s clear to see that Towns will be making more than the both of them in the coming season combined. There are other financial benefits for Minnesota from this deal. The trade puts the Wolves about  $3m under the second apron if Randle ultimately decides to pick up his player option next off-season, and that’s important because it would prevent some of the much-dreaded  roster building restrictions that would stifle continued growth for the young core Minnesota is working to build.
That being said, I wonder if the front office of the Timberwolves remember that they *just* made the WCF for only the second time in their existence, and that Towns was a huge reason for that success? Make no mistake, Julius Randle is a talented player, that is an objective fact. However, I would confidently take Towns over him in nearly all facets of the game except perhaps free throw generation and from-scratch offensive creation. Offensively Randle *can* make some threes, but he has also only had one great year shooting from outside and last season shot a measly 31% from three on nearly the same number of attempts as Towns.  Towns also was integral to the Wolves defensive success early in the playoffs, defending both Kevin Durant in round one, followed by Nikola Jokic in round two. While Randle is a capable defender, I find it hard to imagine that he will be able to replicate the defensive performance of Towns, which is unfortunate when you realize that players such as Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgren, Jaren Jackson Jr., Zion Williamson, and the aforementioned Durant and Jokic more than likely await.
With that being said, Randle is a good passer in his own right, is comfortable playing alongside a traditional center, and is very effective in his rough and tumble ground-bound way, so I am curious as to the fit alongside Rudy Gobert on both ends.
Speaking of intrigue, I look forward to the play of the guy who is arguably the real difference maker in this trade, Donte DiVincenzo. Coming off of a season where he finished third in three-pointers made while shooting them at a 40% clip, DiVincenzo is just the wing that the Wolves needs-a high volume outside shooter who can defend three positions, double as a backup point guard for stretches, and is on a value contract to boot. Seeing him play alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker should be some two-way terror that I am very much looking forward to witnessing, and on a team that could always use a swingman of DiVincenzo’s calibur, this is a sneaky big boost that has the chance to pay major dividends over the course of the year.
Both teams seemed to be looking to the future when making this deal, but this upcoming year is important for both, especially considering the championship aspirations each squad holds. Can Karl Anthony-Towns serve as the perfect running mate for Jalen Brunson and what is left of the Nova Knicks? Will Julius Randle regain his 2021 touch from outside while working alongside Anthony Edwards and Gobert on both ends? Will Donte Divincenzo continue to build on what was a career year for him in 2024 with potentially higher usage and more responsibility? These questions and many more exist for both teams, and as viewers, we should have answers to all of them very soon.

Steven:

Despite signing Towns to a 4/$224 million extension back in June of 2022, it was never feasible that the Timberwolves were going to remain a second apron team under the NBA’s new CBA. While teams like the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers had record-setting pay rolls, this new CBA was implemented to help equalize the playing field for smaller markets teams. The Timberwolves were negatively impacted by the deal that was supposed to favor them. Despite being a second apron team even after this trade, the Timberwolves have far more flexibility than they did previously. 

First, DiVincenzo has 3/$35 million remaining on his contract, which makes his deal one of the most team friendly contracts in the NBA. Second, Towns was set to make $53 million next year. Randle’s player option for next year is a hair less than $31 million, assuming he opts in. Rudy Gobert also has a player option for next year, but he is extension eligible and would extend at a lower salary. Naz Reid also has a player option he’s highly likely to opt out of. Next year and future flexibility aside, the Timberwolves will save over $20 million in payroll and luxury tax penalties in this deal. That’s important for a potential new owner, as the Timberwolves are currently for sale. Randle is also eligible for a 3/$109 million extension. Either way, while many in the industry (Corban included) believe that the Timberwolves slightly downgraded by moving Towns, flexibility is the name of the game. And being out of the second apron a year or two earlier gives the Timberwolves more flexibility. It also should be noted that many NBA teams typically are willing to break a larger contract into two smaller ones, as the Timberwolves did here. It is always easier to trade the smaller contracts separately later than the larger one. With that said, the Timberwolves could always flip Randle if necessary to create even further flexibility, especially if they’re planning on re-signing Naz Reid to a pretty hefty number. Either way, the Timberwolves were not willing to suffer the ramifications of the second apron beyond this year. Now, at the very minimum, they are in striking distance of getting out of it next year. 

For the Knicks, they are hard-capped at the second apron due to the Mikal Bridges trade. As a result, they cannot exceed $188.9 million in payroll at any point. After this deal, they’re at $185.3 million. Additionally, because they did this deal as a first apron team, they can’t take in more than they send out in any trade, so that’s why a third team, likely Charlotte, had to get involved. As a result, it appears likely that the Knicks are including Keita Bates-Diop’s salary to Minnesota, while they will sign and trade DaQuan Jeffries to the Hornets with a pick(s) attached in order to make that salary math work. After the Knicks traded six first round picks for Mikal Bridges, many thought the Knicks were done making any big moves. But I thought they had one more move in them. Alas, they traded for KAT. Remember when Jalen Brunson took a major pay cut on his extension in order for the Knicks to continue to add to the core around him? Well, since then, they’ve added Bridges and KAT. Mission accomplished.