The Celtics aren’t sweating

What Karl-Anthony Towns does for the Knicks

BY DAVID THORPE

Karl-Anthony Towns, known for his offense, made waves by effectively guarding former MVP Nikola Jokic in Minnesota’s second-round win over the Nuggets. As a Knick, he’ll be expected to replace elite defenders Isaiah Hartenstein, who is now on the Thunder, and Mitchell Robinson, who is injured. MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Over the weekend news broke of an almost-complete deal to send center Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a top-13 protected 2025 draft pick. 

Listen to David Thorpe and Jarod Hector discuss the deal on the TrueHoop podcast.

Read David’s thoughts about how this trade affects the Wolves.

Below is an edited transcript of a conversation between David, Jarod, and Henry Abbott, digging into this news from the Knicks’ point of view. Topics include:

• The Knicks’ outlook after the trade.

• The Knicks won’t be as good on defense, will they be better on offense?

• Do you know how few playoff series Tom Thibodeau teams have ever won?

• How the Knicks match up with the Celtics now.