The Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks have pulled off a blockbuster trade merely a few days ahead of the 2024-2025 season’s training camp. This deal resulted in Karl-Anthony Towns joining Jalen Brunson and Co. in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. With the details of the trade coming to light merely a few weeks after Randle’s jersey issue with the Knicks organization, Gilbert Arenas used this opportunity to troll the forward.
Merely a few minutes after details of the trade were made public, Arenas used his social media platform to poke fun at Randle. Agent Zero posted a clip of a garbage collector tossing multiple garbage bags, implying that the employees at the Knicks store were also getting rid of Randle’s jersey in a similar manner.
“Knicks team store getting rid of Julius Randle jerseys after the KAT trade,” Arenas wrote.
This hilarious comment originates after an awkward incident between Randle and the organization occurred at the beginning of the month. As seen in photos that went viral, the franchise’s store in Madison Square Garden had jerseys of multiple players in the squad but Randle’s. This led to the 29-year-old taking direct shots at his now-former team.
Since joining the Knicks in 2019, Randle has made it to three All-Stars and two All-NBA teams, solely responsible for the team’s resurgence. Instead of treating him with respect, the team would leave him in the dark about the contract extension issue.
Even though Towns seems to be a better fit with the current Knicks squad, the franchise didn’t handle this situation with the 6ft 8” forward in the best manner.
Towns can finally switch back to the Center position
Despite the Wolves’ improvements over the past few years, Karl-Anthony Towns will massively benefit from this move to New York. Since Rudy Gobert joined the Minnesota side in 2022, KAT has been forced to play the power-forward position. Unable to adjust to this switch, KAT’s stats were deeply affected–21.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game (the worst two-year stretch of his career).
Now, as Mitchell Robinson remains injured for at least 2-3 months, the four-time All-Star can establish as the starting center for the Knicks. Being the second option behind Brunson, fans can also expect him to see a jump in all major stats on both ends of the floor for KAT.
Just like many basketball enthusiasts, according to reports, even Towns was taken by surprise after learning about the trade. However, KAT and camp always seemed to notice Tom Thibodeau’s constant praises for the player even after departing as the position of the Wolves’ head coach.
Karl-Anthony Towns is “still processing” this trade, according to a source close to him. But it’s worth nothing Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has been publicly very complimentary of him since he left Minnesota—something that’s been noted by Towns.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 28, 2024
With the acquisition of Towns, the Knicks now potentially have a starting lineup with more than capable long-range shooters. Additionally, KAT’s playmaking abilities have proven that he could also take on ball-distributing duties if required.