Who won the Knicks-Wolves blockbuster? And how does it affect the NBA cover photo?

Karl-Anthony Towns is headed to New York, Julius Randle is headed to Minnesota along with Donte DiVincenzo and a future draft pick, and the NBA is heating up just days before training camp begins. Which team won Friday night’s blockbuster trade? Let’s break it down.

1. Who won the Knicks-Wolves trade?

Dan Titus: The wolves. The Knicks got the best player in the deal (Karl-Anthony Towns), but when you look at the entirety of this trade, Minnesota has the advantage of creating financial flexibility and adding depth to its roster. Let’s not forget that Julius Randle is just two years away from becoming an All-NBA player and Donte DiVincenzo was one of the most effective 3-point shooters last season.

Keeping Towns was unrealistic given the need to keep Naz Reid and Nikeil Alexander-Walker. Signing Randle to an expiring $28 million contract and securing DiVincenzo for the 2026-27 season filled the void left by the short- and long-term loss of KAT. And if the Pistons’ protected players cash in in the first round, that could be another big advantage for the Wolves.

Dan Devine: … All? No one?

I keep thinking about Sheriff Jim Hopper’s definition of compromise: “It’s kind of in between.” It’s semi-happy, so to speak.” I imagine a lot of Knicks and Wolves fans feel that way after a deal that the Identity of two teams with championship ambitions fundamentally changed.

The Knicks’ biggest questions entering this season were how they would fill their void at center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency with Mitchell Robinson still recovering from foot surgery, and how they would get Julius Randle back in the fold would integrate into a squad that would have almost reached the Eastern Conference finals without him. This deal answers the former and makes the latter irrelevant, while pairing All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson with an elite 28-year-old stretch big – one whose (admittedly gargantuan) contract runs through 2027-28 and pairs him with the core on a line deploys Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and probably an expanded Mikal Bridges in an offense that could be one of the NBA’s best.

The Wolves, on the other hand, had to try to figure out how to improve an offense that ranked 17th last season and how to bolster a depth chart that seemed a little too reliant on rookies and aging veterans while they simultaneously staring down the barrel of gigantic luxury tax bills with the contracts of Towns, Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert on the books. This deal imports an All-Star power forward in Randle who can create shots for his teammates and an elite, high-volume 3-point shooter and a top-notch defender in DiVincenzo, all at a cheaper price than Towns this year costs, while also giving Minnesota more flexibility (and another tradeable first-round draft pick) to build around Edwards in the coming years.

However, should “the years ahead” be the most important consideration for a Wolves team that just reached the Western Conference finals? And if the Knicks focus entirely on spacing, shooting and offensive creation, perhaps they will move away from the ground-and-pound identity that helped them regain prominence? Big questions – and with them potentially big reasons for it Agita.

Ben Rohrbach: The teams simply swapped problems. Neither team wanted to pay an existing star who was struggling with injuries and playoff confidence. So why not see if the grass is greener on the other side?

Randle is a little more versatile — and makes a little more sense compared to Rudy Gobert — but he’s far from the floor-spacing player that Towns is. Will Randle impact Anthony Edwards’ ability to navigate the court? Additional assets, including Donte DiVincenzo, sweeten the deal.

The Knicks needed a center and replaced Randle with another All-Star who was a better fit for their roster, even if Towns isn’t a rim protector. From a pure talent standpoint, Towns is the superior player. New York’s offense should be phenomenal. But how does the departure of Randle and the departure of one of the Nova Knicks affect the team chemistry that was once the team’s greatest strength?

I think the Knicks won the deal, but there’s a chance neither team did.

2. Where do the Knicks rank among the title contenders?

Rohrbach: This deal moves the Knicks closer to the Celtics in the East. That certainly makes them the conference’s biggest threat to Boston’s repeat – ahead of Philadelphia. New York’s hole was in the middle The This is glaring after the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein and the injury to Mitchell Robinson. It increases their talent level. It doesn’t solve their defense. Boston still has a weakness on offense.

Last season, the Celtics and Knicks were 14 games apart. In theory, adding Towns and Mikal Bridges alongside Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and OG Anunoby will significantly close that gap. In practice, the addition of Towns, in particular, changes the chemistry enough that it could be significant in a playoff series against the Celtics’ continuity. But they gave themselves a chance.

Titus: BetMGM has the Knicks with the third-fewest odds to win the championship, and that’s fair. The Knicks’ talent is undeniable, but success depends on their ability to stay healthy. Mitchell Robinson is already set to miss the start of the season and OG Anunoby has failed to play more than 50 games in three of his seven seasons in the league. Coach Thibs’ notoriously heavy workload helps accumulate wins in the regular season, but that style often fades once the postseason arrives.

Devin: I think in the same league as before – below the Celtics in the East, right next to the 76ers and Bucks, just ahead of the Pacers/Cavaliers/Magic collective. A Knicks offense based on a two-man Brunson-Towns game with Bridges and Anunoby in the corners could absolutely destroy opposing defenses; a Knicks defense built around Brunson and Towns targeted in the two-man game could prove combustible, especially against the defending champion Celtics.

I’m also concerned about what impact the loss of DiVincenzo will have on New York’s second unit. This deal feels like a huge vote of confidence for Deuce McBride, and while I think he deserves it, the Knicks now feel a bit shallow – a potentially glaring concern for a team now extremely reliant on Towns and Anunoby, who have collectively missed 213 regular-season games over the past four years.

3. Where do Wolves rank among the title contenders?

Devin: Again, probably about where they were before – below Oklahoma City, in the mix with Dallas, Denver and a resurgent Memphis.

DiVincenzo seems like a perfect fit for perhaps the best second unit in the league, but while I think Randle has a bad reputation, he’s an undeniable downgrade from KAT as a shooter, which could only complicate Minnesota’s half-court offense because he’s overloaded Lanes and Gobert’s rim rolls. The good news is that Chris Finch is one of the best head coaches in the league when it comes to figuring things out; The bad news, however, is that there appears to be a lot left to figure out in order to get these wolves to the top of the mountain.

Titus: Fifth. The Timberwolves are behind the Celtics, Thunder, Knicks and Sixers. Randle’s integration phase will take some time. However, they have a roster large enough to combine big and small lineups to create a 50-win team and compete in the championship.

Rohrbach: Wolves were already serious title contenders, largely dependent on the rise of Anthony Edwards. That doesn’t change. DiVincenzo adds depth to an already strong rotation, and if Randle can stay healthy, that should lead to a ton of wins in the regular season. They won 56 games last season and 60 seems achievable. They should once again secure a high seed, and as their win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets proved last year, they can beat anyone in a series — as long as Randle’s playoff woes don’t extend beyond the Towns’ own history.