Karl Towns to Knicks, the latest details on the trade
Photo FIBA
Towns in New York will rejoin with coach Thibodeau
New details on the complex trade between the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, that will bring Karl Towns to the Big Apple for Julius Randle, Donte Divincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick.
New York will also receive the rights to James Nnaji, big man selected at No. 31 in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Charlotte Hornets, who entered the deal to make ends meet because of Knicks and Timberwolves limitations, will receive via sign and trade DaQuan Jeffries , Charlie Brown Jr. and Duane Washington, plus $7.2 million and three future second-round picks.
The three players, including Washington, will sign a three-year deal just above their respective salary minimums (about $2.9 million for Jeffries, $2.4 for Brown Jr and $2.2 for Washington), guaranteed for the first season only (mandatory minimum to trade a player via sign and trade).
It is not yet clear whether Partizan will receive a buyout for greenlighting the deal, but their cooperation and that of FIBA were key in closing the agreement.
As noted by several Salary Cup experts, the Knicks front office calculated every single dollar in the various moves over the offseason to get to this point. Starting with the trade for Bridges, the savings on Dadiet’s rookie contract, and Achiuwa’s new deal, all decisions made with the goal of maintaining the minimum amount of flexibility that then allowed the deal with the Timberwolves for Towns.