On Sunday evening, the New York Knicks played their first preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina.
Karl-Anthony Towns made his debut for the franchise after getting traded (via the Minnesota Timberwolves) last week.
Towns is coming off another impressive year where he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest while shooting 50.4% from the field and 41.6% from the three-point range in 62 games.
They had periodically checked in with Minnesota on Towns, dating back to at least last summer.
But there never seemed to be much traction. As recently as last week, people with the Knicks told associates that they were prepared to start the season with Randle and see how it went.
DiVincenzo was one of the sticking points. Minnesota coveted him.
New York was reluctant to move him, but with the start of training camp looming, the Knicks recently came off that stance.
This pushed the deal forward and got it across the finish line.
You knew the Knicks were all in on competing for a title when they traded for Mikal Bridges three months ago.
The Towns trade was another all-in move for a team that will have a sky-high payroll over the next few seasons.
But New York is obviously bullish on the investment.
In Towns, the Knicks feel like they found a player who complements the rest of their core (Jalen Brunson, Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart) extremely well.
Towns is the best perimeter-shooting big man in the NBA.
He forces defenses to pull a defender out of the paint, thereby spreading the floor for his teammates.
His presence should open up the lane for Brunson to attack and create advantages for New York.
He can also play in the post and draw a double team there.
Towns’ presence will make it difficult for teams to trap Brunson and switch on pick-and-rolls.
Sure, there are questions about the Knick interior defense in the wake of the trade.
