Karl-Anthony Towns will be wearing royal blue and orange after rocking midnight blue for nine years. The usually quiet week before training camp was shaken by the news of the blockbuster Knicks-Wolves trade. Needless to say, the NBA world erupted into chaos. There were rumors that the Knicks were closely monitoring KAT. But the New York-based team was well over the first apron, making any such moves impossible. Minnesota was also in the same situation. Unless they had someone willing to take on some salary.

And that’s where the Charlotte Hornets come in. They are a perfect partner. The ‘Queen City’ is well below the luxury tax. $16,029,824 below, to be exact. So, helping out a fellow NBA franchise wouldn’t be too big of a deal, now, would it? Who are we kidding?

The Hornets are just doing some good business. The Knicks are sending salary, including DaQuan Jeffries, and draft compensation to Charlotte, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. This helped the Knicks and Timberwolves get what they desired without further triggering the CBA. And Charlotte?

The strategic move ensured that they gained contracts by absorbing contracts that the team could very well use for their rebuilding, without any financial repercussions. Hence, as this ‘Hornets Lead’ stated, “The Hornets,” are indeed the winners of the deal!

That said, how does Karl-Anthony Towns fit with the Knicks?

Karl-Anthony Towns Reunites with Former Coach as Knicks Address Dual Challenges

Coach Thibodeau and Karl-Anthony Towns are no strangers to each other. KAT has experience playing under Tom Thibodeau when he was still developing into a star. Of course, towards the end, the pair had something of a strained relationship. However, it never stopped the Knicks coach from following Towns’ progress. In fact, last year, the ‘no-nonsense coach’ dubbed him as being “really gifted.” 

Clearly, the man is only too happy to get the 7-foot forward/center under his tutelage once again. And that brings us to our first point. The Knicks have been in need of a center. And Karl can easily switch between the two roles – a rare talent among modern bigs. But more importantly, it’s also a position NYC is heavily reliant on. Between Isaiah Hartenstein leaving in free agency and Mitchell Robinson’s injury, the Knicks had to take a swing on a center.

However, to get Towns, the ‘Big Apple’ had to offer in kind. And it just so happened to provide an answer for their second challenge, as well – Julius Randle’s contract. Moreover, Randle just had to have the ball in his hand to be effective. Not to mention, he never really managed to find that chemistry with Brunson enough to be efficient with the pick-and-roll.

But with KAT, they wouldn’t have to worry in the least about it. In addition to being a prolific scorer for a center, the man is highly efficient as a pick-and-roll finisher. Minnesota just didn’t have a guard good enough to utilize Towns’ skills until Anthony Edwards. However, by then, the three-point contest champion was partnered with Rudy Gobert in poorly spaced lineups.

Anyway, we won’t have to wait long to see this in action. So, stay tuned!