The New York Knicks do not need social media to validate the Karl-Anthony Towns trade anymore, but Julius Randle’s latest NBA move gave Knicks fans another chance to revisit it. Minnesota is sending Randle and the No. 28 pick in the NBA Draft to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a three-team deal that sends Nic Claxton to the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Timberwolves will acquire Brooklyn’s No. 33 pick in the deal.
What happened to Julius Randle?
Randle is headed back to New York - but to Brooklyn - after a Minnesota stint that included some productive basketball, a big contract and a second trade that looked, to many around the NBA, like a salary reset. Kevin O’Connor posted that it was “safe to say Knicks won the KAT/Randle trade.” In another post, he wrote, “Oof Minnesota wanted off Randle BAD.”
Why it matters for New York Knicks
The Knicks turned a beloved, complicated, high-usage forward into a championship-level center fit. Randle was not a failure in Minnesota. He averaged 18.7 points and 7.1 rebounds in 2024-25 and helped the Timberwolves reach the Western Conference finals.
What comes next for the Knicks?
Karl-Anthony Towns brought the Knicks what Randle could not: more shooting, more spacing, more center-sized offense and less overlap in late-clock creation. Towns averaged 21.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists during the 2025-26 regular season. The Knicks needed a cleaner fit around Jalen Brunson: Towns brought that.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Points | 21.1 |
| Rebounds | 6.8 |
| Assists | 5.1 |
