Persistence at times pays off. Such seems to have been the case with the rare and shocking move the New York Knicks pulled for Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s unusual to have any movement with the season weeks approaching. As it turns out, this wasn’t a spontaneous call by the franchise to fill its center void. The allure for Towns in his hometown has been reverberating since draft night, and it took multiple attempts to finally conclude.

With time, several details around the details of the trade have surfaced. But Shams  Charania broke the entire timeline that goes back months. The NBA insider claims Julius Randle was always part of the package to tempt the Timberwolves to part ways with their most loyal star. It was the additional bribe that required alteration. “They offered Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson that was a hard no” Charania explained.

These attempts were always futile. Given Robinson’s rotten injury history and his lack of flexibility apart from an enforcing center, the Wolves weren’t even willing to listen. But the Knicks’ desperation was moving. They made some changes and added Donte DiVincenzo to the mix. It still didn’t meet eyes with the West powerhouse, but there were signs of adjustment. Finally, the Knicks cracked the formula.

“Then they put the first-round pick on Friday to get this massive deal done. We haven’t seen a deal this big happen on the eve of the season in a while,” the popular insider expanded when speaking to Pat McAfee.

According to The Athletic, the Knicks’ infatuation with Towns is largely due to Leon Rose, the team’s president. Before moving into his role with the franchise, he served as part of Karl-Anthony Towns’ representation. Those ties never melted away and he has chased his pursuit to land his former client over the past couple of seasons.

Finally, through strong resolution, the Knicks’ resilience saw a result. And Towns is back at ‘home’, even though he didn’t want to part ways with his adopted home in Minnesota. James Dolan though did it all to give the ‘Nova Knicks’ a lifeline. He never intended to part ways with DiVincenzo, stretching it to the very end before finally bending to the Wolves’ demands.

Did the Knicks really win the Karl-Anthony Towns deal?

From the Minnesota perspective, the deal, even though painful, made sense. Towns’ mountainous $220 million extension was about to kick in. It had the potential to cause major fiscal woes in the future. In exchange, not only did they save some money, but they earned two impact makers. In Randle, they find a physical and skillful forward who is rapidly expanding his game and has been a three-time All-Star. DiVincenzo is a splashy shooter that accents their depth and supports their hawking defensive identity.

In terms of the Knicks, it satisfied their market. They are a big market team with a glamour for the biggest stars. Karl-Anthony Towns is a transcending shooter that can operate in various positions. Their starting lineup, one that consists of heavyweights such as Brunson and Bridges undoubtedly experienced a major upgrade, finally having the stretch abilities in their center.

At the same time, their throttling tool before the move was their depth. With Bridges’ blockbuster trade, Josh Hart and DiVincenzo had essentially become the frontal stars of the second unit. However, now, that deep pool has been reduced to McBride being the only significant contributor from their last season, a group that won 50 games for the first time since 2013.

Urgency and circumstances also played a part in their willful chase. Mitchell Robinson won’t be available for the first few months. Even though Thibadeau introduced the idea of playing Randle at the five, the East is filled with domineering bigs that could leverage his unnatural fit. In those regards, Towns brings some stability and security since he has only played under 50 games in two of his nine years thus far. There were also reports about DiVincenzo’s unhappiness with moving to the bench after his surreal contributions during the postseason.

The first string for the former ‘Villanova Knicks’ is looking a lot more gutsy and decorated than before. But as a whole, Thibadeau doesn’t have much at his disposal. Maybe this season it isn’t just Hart that plays heavy minutes, but rather most of the starting players will face an increase in their playing time.

This could either bring the onset of injuries or it could lead to a tenacious and unforgiving group. Let us know which side you think the new-looking Knicks will sway to in the comments below.