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Former Knicks Guard Slams Karl-Anthony Towns Trade

Not everyone is impressed with the New York Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns trade.

Jeremy Brener

May 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
May 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks in game four of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks stunned the basketball world when they acquired Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick.

The move was made to give the Knicks the center they needed in order to get a little bit deeper in the playoffs after exiting in the second round in back-to-back seasons.

While the move is expected to elevate their ceiling, former Knicks guard Iman Shumpert shared his concerns of the trade on ESPN's First Take.

"I love [KAT and Jalen Brunson] on paper," Shumpert said on First Take. "I don't love that at the end of the game in the playoffs. It's not scary enough."

It remains to be seen how well Brunson and Towns will work together, especially in the playoffs. The fit on paper looks good as the pair of them will have Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges on the wing alongside them, but the success of the trade will be determined based on how far the Knicks go into the playoffs when both of them are on the floor.

Even though the Knicks finished second in the Eastern Conference this past season, they were still 14 games back of the eventual champion Boston Celtics, which means there is a lot of ground that they have to make up.

The Knicks should be commended for improving their team when they felt their current product wasn't up to par. However, there is no guarantee that their new team is any better than the previous group that they had.

The Knicks will spend all season hoping to get to a place where they can prove Shumpert wrong, but they can only make that point when they are in the thick of things in the postseason next spring.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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