After years of rumors surrounding the New York Knicks and a potential push of their chips to the center of the table, they finally acquired the player you might think they believe is the final piece of their championship puzzle. They traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo (plus a heavily protected first-round pick) in a blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, a huge acquisition especially with training camp set to begin in just a few days.
The prevailing sentiment on social media is that the Knicks won the trade, and in a lopsided fashion. Perhaps there is merit to that belief. After all, New York is getting their best player in the deal, and at a position of need, especially considering Mitchell Robinson’s injury issues. However, for retired NBA player Evan Turner , it looks like giving up Randle and DiVincenzo, two crucial pieces of the rotation, could be something the Knicks will regret.
“New York, you’re going to want to keep [Donte] and Julius,” Turner wrote on his official X account (formerly known as Twitter).
Turner didn’t really explain why he’d prefer the Knicks to keep Randle and DiVincenzo. But it’s not too hard to see why the Knicks would be hesitant to give up those two solid rotation players.
For one thing, Randle has been a rock for the Knicks and helped lead the team back to prominence in the early 2020s. His three-point shooting (or shot selection in general) leaves a lot to be desired, but he takes up a lot of the offensive work for the team and has welcomed Tom Thibodeau’s coaching with open arms. He can also make plays for others and, with his size, can be a matchup nightmare for the opponent.
Meanwhile, DiVincenzo has become one of the best shooters in the NBA. Last season with the Knicks, he spread his wings in a starting role, and was one of the best high-volume three-point shooters (3.5 made per night on 8.7 attempts) in the association, making him worth his weight in gold.
Only time will tell, however, if the Knicks will regret trading those two, as they will still be getting one of the association’s most versatile offensive centers in KAT.