The KAT-Randle trade was a win for Wolves and Knicks
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Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns switched places, and it's been a success. Photo: David Berding/Getty Images
The shocking September trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks and brought Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota is looking like a win-win for both squads.
State of play: The Wolves are back in the Western Conference Finals (starting tonight!) and the Knicks made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
Why it matters: Once again, people doubting Wolves top basketball executive Tim Connelly were proven wrong.
- Despite some early struggles to fit in, Randle has found his groove with the Wolves and has played marvelously in the first two playoff series, averaging 24 points a game. It's hard to imagine where they would be without him and the off-the-bench grit of DiVincenzo.
Meanwhile, KAT averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game for a very good Knicks team that just took down the reigning champs, the Boston Celtics.
Yes, but: The trade could get even better for the Wolves. It gives them financial flexibility to keep or sign important players this offseason, and they got a first-round pick in the June NBA draft, which will be No. 17 overall.
Flashback: Many fans and pundits panned the trade, unhappy to see a franchise cornerstone leave and lamenting that the Knicks got the best player in the swap.
- The Athletic's Zach Harper graded the trade a C+ for the Wolves, saying "This is one of the rare trades where I just don't really like it for either team."
- The Star Tribune's Jim Souhan wrote in January that "to date, the Wolves have lost the trade," while hedging by saying it might work in the long-run.
What we're watching: What would truly make this trade one of the best in basketball history is if the Wolves and Knicks won their respective series and met in the NBA Finals.
- The Wolves are major underdogs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which had the league's best record in the regular season.
- The Knicks are favored to top the Indiana Pacers.
Details: Tipoff in OKC is at 7:30pm tonight on ESPN.