Detroit Pistons Pick Added in Karl Anthony-Towns Blockbuster Trade

A Detroit Pistons pick was a part of a blockbuster trade on Friday.

Oct 14, 2023; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) and guard RJ Barrett (9) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The NBA saw another blockbuster trade involving the New York Knicks this offseason on Friday night.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Knicks are acquiring Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl Anthony-Towns. The All-Star forward Julius Randle is expected to be included in the deal, along with the veteran sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo.

Beyond the players, the Knicks are also adding a draft pick to the mix. According to The Athletic, the pick comes from the Detroit Pistons.

While the Pistons and the Knicks struck a deal during the 2023-2024 NBA season, New York didn’t land the pick directly from Detroit.

The Pistons moved the first-round pick with a protection in 2020. The selection helped the Pistons pick up their current veteran forward, Isaiah Stewart.

The Houston Rockets had possession of the pick initially, but they moved it to the Oklahoma City Thunder one year later. Then, OKC flipped it to the Knicks the following offseason.

Now, it’s in the Timberwolves’ hands.

Minnesota has been quite active in the trade market since they realized the potential of the young star, Anthony Edwards. A couple of summers ago, the Timberwolves made a blockbuster deal for the veteran center Rudy Gobert. Year one of the Gobert-Edwards-Towns trio didn’t impress the league, but year two was a step in the right direction.

Last year, the Timberwolves finished third in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record. They placed just one game back from the first seed. After winning two series in the playoffs, the Timberwolves came up short against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. They went far—but won’t run it back.

Towns will get a chance to compete with the Knicks, who finished second in the Eastern Conference last year. While they knocked the Philadelphia 76ers out of the playoffs in round one, New York came up short against the Indiana Pacers before making an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.

Both teams made the deal with a buyer’s mindset, keeping an NBA title on their minds.

Meanwhile, the Pistons will continue patiently waiting to see what happens with their Top-13 protected pick that has yet to be conveyed.