Knicks Find Center in Karl-Anthony Towns

The New York Knicks needed a center and now they have one.

May 28, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts against the Dallas Mavericks during the fourth quarter of 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

The New York Knicks are shaking things up right before the start of training camp by acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

The Knicks were in desperate need of a center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and Mitchell Robinson to injury. He will miss the first month or so of the season, but now we know who will start for the Knicks at center.

After being pushed to the power forward position to make room for Rudy Gobert for the past two seasons, Towns will now return to the center spot for the Knicks.

Towns is likely set to be the starting center and be Jalen Brunson's pick-and-roll partner for the foreseeable future, setting the Knicks up for success as they enter the next era of the franchise.

While the Knicks appeared to be comfortable with Randle as the team's small-ball center for the time being, his expiring contract and the possibility of adding Towns simply outweighed the cons in what the team currently had.

It's a bold move to make a trade this close to the start of training camp, especially given the fact that there is limited time to build team chemistry. That being said, the Knicks have done a great job in fortifying team chemistry by keeping three of the four 'Nova Knicks together.

Losing DiVincenzo means they won't have one of the four former Wildcats there, but the Knicks wouldn't be making this move if they didn't feel it was in the best interest of the team.

It's a roll of the dice for both teams, but the Knicks feel like this may be the last piece they need to finally get over the hump and officially become title contenders.

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