Nearly two seasons after the blockbuster trade that brought Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, the debate over who won the deal is heating up again - and this time, it’s Zach Lowe stirring the pot.
On a recent episode of The Lowe Post, the ESPN analyst gave the edge to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2024 swap that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Twin Cities in exchange for Towns. Lowe’s reasoning? Production and price.
“DiVincenzo is really good and Randle is an All-Star-level player,” Lowe said. “I think Randle has probably been better than Towns this year at almost half the price. I think the Wolves won the trade.”
It’s a bold take - and not without some statistical backing. Towns is having one of his least impactful seasons since becoming a perennial All-Star back in 2017-18. Through 41 games in the 2025-26 campaign, he’s averaging just 14.5 shot attempts per game (fourth-lowest of his career), posting a 26.1 usage rate (his lowest since 2022-23), and shooting just 36.3% from three - his worst mark from deep since his rookie year.
But even with those numbers, calling the Timberwolves the clear winners of this trade feels like jumping the gun.
Let’s zoom out for a moment.
The Knicks pulled the trigger on this deal to level up - and that’s exactly what they did. Towns helped lead New York to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since the 1999-2000 season, back when Patrick Ewing was still patrolling the paint. Towns earned All-Star and All-NBA honors in the process, a reminder of the kind of ceiling-raiser he can be when things are clicking.
Fast forward to year two of the Towns era, and while the Knicks are currently navigating a rough patch - 3-9 over their last 12 - they’re still sitting third in the East at 26-18. That’s not just respectable, it’s competitive. They also hold the sixth-best odds to win the 2026 NBA title at +1800.
Minnesota, for their part, has remained solid. They made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2025, just like the Knicks did out East.
But that run ended the same way their 2024 postseason did - with a gentleman’s sweep in the third round. They currently sit with the ninth-best title odds at +2700.
So what are we really comparing here?
On one side, you have a Knicks team that took a tangible leap forward after the trade. On the other, a Timberwolves squad that’s mostly treaded water - good, but not demonstrably better. Randle has been strong, DiVincenzo has been a valuable piece, but neither has moved the needle in quite the same way Towns did for New York last season.
Yes, Towns’ numbers are down. Yes, his price tag is steep.
But this isn’t a fantasy basketball trade - it’s about fit, impact, and postseason potential. And by those measures, the Knicks aren’t walking away from this deal with any regrets.
If anything, they’re still in the thick of the championship conversation, and Towns remains a central piece of that puzzle.
The bottom line? It’s simply too early to declare a winner.
This trade reshaped two franchises. Let’s see how the story plays out before we start handing out trophies.