Well, guys, we’ve got a trade—a surprising one that went down late on a Friday night between the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The trade involved Julius Randle, Karl-Anthony Towns, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round draft pick. It’s an unexpected deal and could indirectly impact the Lakers.
Now, if you want my full thoughts on how this trade affects the Knicks and Timberwolves, be sure to check out my second channel, *JSM Plus*, where I discuss all 29 other teams in the NBA. But since this channel mainly focuses on the Lakers, I’ll talk about how it might impact them, either directly or indirectly, and the Western Conference as a whole.
First off, I think this trade made the Knicks stronger, but since they’re in the Eastern Conference, it doesn’t directly affect the Lakers unless they meet in the NBA Finals, which is still a distant possibility. However, the Timberwolves are in the West, and I believe they got worse because of this trade.
Swapping Randle for Towns is, in my opinion, a downgrade, especially in terms of offensive fit. Towns is one of the best three-point shooting big men in NBA history, while Randle is a high-volume but inefficient shooter from beyond the arc.
Apart from the 2020-2021 season, where Randle shot over 40% from three, he hasn’t hit above 35% since. This change will reduce Minnesota’s floor spacing, which could negatively affect guys like Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, and other playmakers on the team.
Defensively, Randle isn’t a major upgrade either. Towns isn’t great on defense, but his size allows him to play center in certain matchups, while Randle is mostly stuck defending physical power forwards, who are rare in today’s NBA. So, Minnesota’s lineup loses versatility with this trade.
The Timberwolves might eventually figure out how to make Randle work alongside Rudy Gobert, but it will likely take time. It took them a good part of last season just to adjust to Gobert’s fit with Towns, and now they’ll have to start over with Randle, which could cost them regular-season wins.
This could potentially benefit the Lakers in the standings. Minnesota was the third seed last season, but if they fall off due to these fit issues, the Lakers might have a chance to overtake them. The Lakers finished last season strong with a 23-10 record and the fifth-best record in the league post-trade deadline. If the Lakers can build on that momentum, they might leapfrog teams like the Timberwolves or the LA Clippers, who I also think got worse.
As for the Lakers benefiting from any players involved in the trade, I don’t see that happening right away. c isn’t going anywhere, and Donte DiVincenzo might not be available unless he’s unhappy with his role in Minnesota. He didn’t want to come off the bench for the Knicks last season, so if he’s relegated to a similar role with the Timberwolves, he might request a trade later on, though that’s far from certain.
One player to watch could be Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who might see his minutes reduced with DiVincenzo’s arrival. He’s on an expiring contract and could be a good fit for the Lakers if Minnesota looks to trade him rather than pay him next season.
Finally, Julius Randle could be traded again if Minnesota can’t make the fit with Gobert work. While he was an All-Star last season and has a history with the Lakers, I don’t think Randle would be a good fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He’s not an efficient three-point shooter and struggles defensively, which wouldn’t complement the Lakers’ core. So, I’d say the Lakers should pass on trading for Randle.
In the end, I think this trade could indirectly help the Lakers by weakening the Timberwolves in the standings, but I don’t see much value in acquiring any of the players involved. What do you guys think? How do you feel about the trade and how it might affect the Lakers? Let me know in the comments!
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