“Stunned,” this was Karl-Anthony Towns’ reaction to the trade, as per The Athletic. Well, this must have been the reaction of the mass as well. With less than 4 weeks left for the season opener, the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves moved the needle with a blockbuster trade. Kat, who spent 9-seasons with the Wolves since his debut, now has to take his talents to the Big Apple. Meanwhile, the Minnesota side stacked their roster with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Following this big roster update, let’s find out what the updated Wolves might look like.

Before we go into the roster and line-ups, let’s take a quick detour and find out how things have played out. As per the reports, the Wolves didn’t give a heads-up before pulling this deal. Notably, Towns reportedly worked out at the Wolves’ practice facility this week. It’s truly a heartbreaking moment for the 7 ‘0 big man to get traded from a side where he won the ROYT award and made 4x NBA All-Star appearances.

At the same time, the Wolves might’ve gotten ahead of themselves with this trade. Especially, coming off a season, which is considered as their best in the two decades. Karl-Anthony Town indeed played a crucial role, particularly against the Denver Nuggets. When Rudy Gobert struggled to guard Nikola Jokić, Towns stepped in with some impressive plays to control the Serbian bully. Moreover, he also recorded 21.8 ppg and 8.3 rpg in the last season. Looking at the assets that Kat brings to the table, a question comes to mind: Did the Wolves commit a costly mistake?

Updated roster: Will Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo make up for Kat

While the Wolves have given away a two-way big man, they instead received two highly skilled players along with a first-round pick via the Detroit Pistons. Firstly, Julius Randle, the 6 ‘8 power forward, can be the direct replacement for Karl-Anthony Towns. Unlike the Dominican-American big man, Randle isn’t equipped with perimeter shooting and proven defensive capabilities.

J-Randle instead can offer his offensive prowess with post-dominant play style and rim protection. Notably, he has averaged 20+ points in the last four seasons. Especially, the big man could boost the team’s offense which struggled during the Conference Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. At the same time, even though he isn’t a poor defender, the question is, will he handle the Joker when Gobert doesn’t have answers?

Secondly, the Wolves cracked another two-way player in Donte DiVincenzo, breaking up the Villanova gang before it could even propel. Notably, they aggressively pursued Cenzo during his 2023 free agency period, as the guard’s shooting and defense abilities will fit in with the side. In the last season, after teaming up with Jalen Brunson, DiVincenzo produced a career-best season, averaging 15.5 ppg in 81 games.

Updated Roster

*Following the training camp, the roster capacity would be brought under 15 players per team. So, the team might waive some of the above-mentioned players.

Now that, we have a basic understanding of the trade. Let’s find out how these two new pieces will fit in the Wolves roster and also their spot in the line.

Wolves blockbuster trade: Starting line-up and Depth Chart

During the last few seasons, the fan following of Naz Reid has exponentially grown. And importantly, Reid proved that he’s worth for all the loving by winning the Sixth Man of the Year award. The fans’ love didn’t just stop at cheering but also created a movement, requesting the side to bring the power forward to the starting lineup. Then, fans expected the team to trade Kat and promote Reid to the PF position. However, Julius Randle doesn’t seem to be giving up the spot easily to the rising star.

Moreover, Randle underwent a mandatory shoulder surgery in April after he missed out on the majority of the season. So, the Wolves still seem to have made a gamble with their power-forward trade. On the other hand, DiVincenzo has improved his offensive game with his one-year stint with the Knicks. Looking at the roster, the Villanova guard may find a spot only in the second unit.

However, looking back at the offensive crunch that the Wolves faced during the Conference Finals series, Chris Finch may want to think twice before going forward with the veteran guard Mike Conley Jr in the starting lineup. The 17-season-experienced guard struggled to move the needle offensively throughout the season, averaging 11.4 ppg with 5.9 assists per game and 11.6 ppg in the postseason. On the other hand, DiVincenzo, with the fresh legs produced a career-high stat with 15.5 ppg with 2.7 assists per game and an impressive playoff performance, averaging 17.8 points. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Chris Finch would push Conley to the second unit and orchestrate more plays with DiVincenzo.

What do you make of the roster? Will it compete for the title? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.