New York Knicks Receive: C Karl-Anthony Towns

Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: C Mitchell Robinson, F Kevin Knox II, F Obi Toppin, NYK 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #19), DAL 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #21), NYK 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)

Before we talk about this trade more in-depth, it is worth noting that the Knicks would probably have to exercise the team options on both Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox’s contracts before making this trade. Also, this would likely be a draft-night type of deal seeing as New York would be trading the 19th and 21st pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to Minnesota. 

Player-wise, it does not seem like the Timberwolves would be gaining much from this trade, but Mitchell Robinson and Obi Toppin could be two valuable frontcourt pieces for them to play around with since Towns would be no longer on their roster. 

Robinson only played in 31 games this year due to injuries and averaged just 8.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, but just a season ago, he led the league in field goal percentage. Given his length and athleticism, Mitchell Robinson can and will likely continue to grow into an avid shot-blocker if he can continue to receive significant minutes for a team. 

Obi Toppin was selected 8th overall by the Knicks in the 2020 NBA Draft and possesses all of the athleticism any team would want from a power-forward. He did not play much this season, but Toppin is a guy the Timberwolves would absolutely want in any deal with the Knicks. 

For New York, they have Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett, but it was very apparent in the playoffs this year that they still need that key weapon. Randle was a great leader for them, but he would be a much better #2 option for them next to a guy like Towns. 

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Giving up Robinson and Knox for Karl-Anthony Towns is not that big of a deal for the Knicks, but giving up Toppin and three first-round picks is definitely a ton of value.

Obi Toppin and those draft picks are the future of the New York Knicks, so if they were to offer this trade to Minnesota, it would mean that they believe Towns’ value would be much greater than basically four first-round picks and that he would be the future of their organization. 

The Knicks would probably love to add Karl-Anthony Towns to their roster, but who knows if the Timberwolves would actually consider moving on from their All-Star center. With that said, let’s look at this trade from each team’s perspective to see if this is something that truly makes sense for both the Knicks and Timberwolves this offseason.