Celtics' Rival Pulls Off Blockbuster Trade as Season Nears

Bobby Krivitsky | Sep 27, 2024

Jan 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks to drive past New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Knicks represent arguably the Celtics' top external threat in the Eastern Conference.

New York paid a premium to acquire Mikal Bridges, parting with four unprotected first-round picks, plus an unprotected pick swap in 2028 and a top-four protected first-round selection via the Bucks in 2025.

It's a steep price to pay for a 28-year-old wing who's yet to make an All-Star Game, but Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart give the Knicks one of the league's most impressive defensive trios. It's a triumvirate tailored to their efforts to topple the reigning NBA champions.

Furthermore, Bridges should benefit from his time as the top offensive option on the Nets. He and fellow former Villanova star Jalen Brunson will make life easier for each other on that end of the floor.

As the regular season nears, Boston's division rival is making a move to address its primary weakness.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

According to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the deal centers around New York acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick via the Pistons.

While that doesn't appear like a step forward for the Timberwolves from this author's perspective, the Knicks are now inserting a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection at center, the position of most concern after Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Thunder. Furthermore, Mitchell Robinson is unlikely to make his season debut until December or January after suffering a stress injury to his left foot in the playoffs.

Towns is coming off an All-Star campaign in which he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, converted on 41.6 percent of the 5.3 threes he hoisted, and played the best defense of his career.

Now, the New Jersey native returns home, teaming with Brunson to form a pick-and-pop tandem that could prove lethal. It's also a tactic that should work well with Towns and Bridges.

He also gives Tom Thibodeau, who the seven-foot-center is familiar with from their time together in Minnesota, the option of running double-big lineups with more size than when Randle was a part of those combinations. That could come in handy against the Celtics' pairing of Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

By no means is Towns flawless, but he is an upgrade for a team with a defensive trio designed to get past Boston in a best-of-seven series and just added more offensive firepower to help achieve that mission.

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