Analyst Blasts Wolves for Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns Trade

One of the New York Knicks' most recent major moves has really come back to bite--the Minnesota Timberwolves, that is.

For all the issues surrounding the Knicks' swap for Karl-Anthony Towns, which sent Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to Minneapolis, at the time of the deal, New York hasn't had much to complain about. There were certainly growing pains and things aren't perfect, but the Knicks (29-16) are still in a relatively comfortable spot on the Eastern Conference leaderboard with Towns averaging a 25.1-point, 13.9-rebound double-double.

The same can't be said about the Timberwolves, however, and ESPN analyst/2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins is already willing to count the deal among the worst barters in Association history.

“Minnesota Timberwolves. They’re the most disappointing team … they’re on the verge of making the worst trade in NBA history.”@KendrickPerkins weighs in on the Karl-Anthony towns trade 🤔 pic.twitter.com/QsMayDu1a8
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 23, 2025

"The way that it's trending right now, they're on the verge of making the worst trade in NBA history," Perkins said on the "NBA Countdown" pregame show before the Wolves took on the Dallas Mavericks on the Worldwide Leader's airwaves. "You trade away a guy that you drafted No. 1, a guy who showed up and showed out in the postseason last year and now you're in the ninth spot.

"Everyone's talking about 'oh, Anthony Edwards, he's not attacking the basket, he's shooting so many three-point shots. He has no choice because he's on the floor with Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle and the paint is crowded. Again, I understand the money that Karl-Anthony Towns was making, you had to make a business decision. But they're going to have to live with it because they chose Rudy Gobert over Karl-Anthony Towns."

Fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference Finals, its first in two decades, Minnesota (23-21) is currently ensnared in a Western Conference logjam where fifth and twelth place are separated by four games. The Wolves currently place eighth after a narrow 115-114 win over Dallas on Wednesday.

This season has nonetheless been a disappointment considering the expectations this group earned with its semifinal showing last year. Edwards has performed well enough, but both Gobert and Randle have struggled to live up to their respective billings and expensive contracts. The Timberwolves were recently dealt a painful medical blow as they learned that DiVincenzo, who was starting to rediscover his groove, would be out indefinitely due to a toe injury.

Recency bias may cloud Perkins' judgement--this is a league, after all, that saw the Charlotte Hornets essentially trade Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac--but it's safe to say that the Knicks are trending toward winning the deal.

Minnesota will look to keep surging forward on Saturday when they face the Denver Nuggets (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

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