Are Knicks Still Winning Trade With Timberwolves?

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves made a big trade before the start of the regular season, but who's currently on top?

Dec 19, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) works around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) in the third quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are recovering from their 116-99 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks' loss should come with a bit of an asterisk, as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out from the game with a thumb injury. He's been a big part of the Knicks' success this season and not having him in the lineup was a massive blow for the team.

On the flip side, Julius Randle, the main player traded for Towns over the season, was in the lineup. While he had just eight points, Randle is happy to leave his former home with a win. He spoke with New York Post reporter Stefan Bondy about his tenure with the Knicks.

“It sucks,” Randle said via Bondy. “I guess we’ll never know what could’ve been. I think the more unfortunate part is everything was a build, a constant build — I feel like all our teams overachieved year after year. And that team last year was our best team. So then to see if we could’ve taken it to where we had a shot, where we could’ve taken it without all the injuries, including myself. I think that was the most unfortunate part.”

Randle is right. The Knicks were constantly improving as a team, and there's reason to believe that they would have continued to improve this season with a healthier lineup and the addition of Mikal Bridges.

The only way the Knicks "win" the trade is if they win a championship, and losing at home to the team you made a big trade with as that star sat on the sidelines with a mysterious, lingering injury is not a way to come out on top either.

The Knicks have time, but fortunes have to change if they want to be considered the "winner" of the trade.

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