Friday night in the greater New York/New Jersey area was one where the mind was focused on anything but our beloved Knickerbockers. Most were locked in on the Mets first of three games in Milwaukee, a critical contest for their playoff hopes. Others were hoping the Yankees would win against the Pirates to maintain their hold on the number 1 seed. Hell even a few were locked in on Rutgers biggest football home game in years. But oddly enough during the Mets ugly loss, I tried to lift up friend and reader of the blog Mike F, with the rumor that the Knicks were after DeAndre Ayton. It understandably did a little console him as the Brewers broke his heart but all is not lost yet Mikey. But just after 10:20 in the East, with the Yanks and Mets in the loss column and Rutgers holding onto a third quarter lead, there was a “bolt out of the Orange and Blue.” The Knicks had made a trade, and it wasn’t for Ayton or another random big, but one they had long coveted, Karl Anthony Towns!

With Adrian Wojnarowski retired from the insider game and with Zach Lowe layed off by ESPN, Shams Charania took center stage and broke the news. At first the trade seemed like a misprint given the inclusion of Donte DiVincenzo along expected departure Julius Randle. DiVo going led to this becoming an even more hotly contested trade in “Knicks land” as a lot of emotional reactions can be seen in just a quick glance at Twitter. Even my girlfriend Briana, who fell in love with this particular team last year, was devastated at the news DiVincenzo was going. All of that understandable, I share some of the same emotion, but let’s take that out of it and try to make an assessment of a deal that I do believe in end elevates this team. We’ll begin by talking about what’s leaving before getting into what the Knicks are getting.

First off here, the Knicks say goodbye to Julius Randle, a player many thought at some point would be gone. Number 30 arrived in 2019-20 at a time when no one wanted to play for the Knicks. They couldn’t land a marquee player to save their life, but Randle (who was short of marquee) came here hat in hand and made this team his own. He began the MSG renaissance we all now enjoy and started the culture of a team that was tougher than the rest. Randle of course had his frustrating moments as well, particularly in the playoffs, where his inefficient games would weigh the team down. Yes, injuries played a part in those, but it this group has clearly transitioned away from playing through him and now plays through Jalen Brunson. I wish him all the best but I firmly believe the Knicks have upgraded on him, especially given him not being a natural center. Randle also wanted an extension, one the Knicks were never going to give him, so they had little recourse here but to deal him.

If saying goodbye to Randle is tough, moving on from DiVincenzo feels even tougher in the wake of last year’s playoff run. “The Big Ragu” endeared himself to the Garden Faithful almost instantly with his energetic and gritty play and exciting three point shooting. His game winners against Indiana and Philly are legitimately top 10 moments for this franchise since the turn of the millennium and the scenes they created will last forever. He was of course a member of “the Nova Knicks” and was no doubt excited to be a part of the quartet of Nova grads that now formed with the trade for Bridges. But with Bridges arrival would have also come a minutes reduction for DiVo, and while you’d love to have him on the bench, I’m not sure that should come at the expense of adding a player like Towns. It’s sad but sports is a business, never forget it.

As one Kentucky Wildcat (Randle) leaves NYC, a new one takes his place, as Karl Anthony Towns is a a fellow product of John Calipari’s. AKA KAT has long been a player I’ve enjoyed watching both in college and the NBA. The somewhat injury prone big has enjoyed a strong eight year career in the league to this point, helping to turn around the Timberwolves with the help of Anthony Edwards. The four time All-Star and New Jersey native has averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists per game over the course of his career. This is his second go around under Tom Thibodeau, and the first one didn’t always go well, but second chances are a great thing. Towns is coming off helping Minnesota reach the western conference final, averaging 19 points per game in that playoff run, where he was erratic offensively. He feels like an offensive upgrade from a fit perspective over Randle as he helps spread the floor for Brunson. He’s not as tough defensively as Randle or the also departing Isaiah Hartenstein but that’s a trade off the Knicks seem willing to make.

In its simplest terms, this trade is a risk for the Knicks and their front office. Leon Rose has pitched a near perfect game to this point in his tenure, but now the rubber will meet the road. But to win it all you have to take a risk sometimes. The players you want to see win it all with your team doesn’t always get to have that moment. The Rangers don’t win the 94 cup without taking some major deadline risks. The Giants HAD TO BE right about Eli Manning. The Mets needed to bet it all on Gary Carter. Hell even the Yankees had to swing a deal for Babe Ruth. If you’re even looking for a parallel in Knicks history, look no further than the risk it took to trade John Starks for Latrell Spreewell. It wasn’t easy to do at the time but it wound up working out. That’s not to say KAT is bound to turn out exactly like one of these guys mentioned above, but Leon Rose has earned the trust of this fan base to roll these dice. I find it hard to believe Thibs and Brunson didn’t sign off on this trade or at least be somewhat on board with it given its implications. If they didn’t then something very strange is going on at MSG.

Be excited about what’s coming in, be thankful for what the outgoing guys did for you. Training camp opens in a week and the season will begin soon after that. Thank you DiVo, thank you Julius, and welcome KAT! Let’s make this year THE YEAR! Go New York Go New York Go!

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