On October 2nd, 2024, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in what was one of the most unexpected trades of the 2024-25 season. Even at the time, the trade was shocking because KAT was one of the reasons why the Wolves made it to the Conference Finals last season. As months have gone by, the decision has become more regrettable for the Wolves as their campaign slowly falls apart.
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During a recent appearance on Road Trippin’, Kendrick Perkins claimed that the Wolves’ KAT deal might end up becoming the worst trade in the NBA ever. Perkins has shown a lot of eagerness in talking about how trading KAT was a blunder for the Wolves.
On the podcast, he talked about last season’s Conference Semifinals between the Wolves and the Nuggets. KAT was dominant on both ends of the floor, even outplaying Nikola Jokic to send the Minnesota franchise to the WCF for the first time in 20 years.
So, trading him was bound to make the team weak, but the Wolves might not have anticipated how big the impact would be.
Perkins said, “How is Minnesota looking?…It is trending towards one of the worst trades in NBA history.”
However, the “worst trade in NBA history” tag is debatable. Channing Frye claimed that the Hornets taking Vlade Divac for the late, great Kobe Bryant is arguably the worst trade ever. On the other hand, Richard Jefferson picked the Brooklyn Nets trade that landed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in Boston.
The KAT trade is REALLY hurting Minnesota #timberwolves #nba #roadtrippin #karlanthonytowns #knicks pic.twitter.com/gMR8LdL9Df
— Road Trippin’ Show🎧 (@RoadTrippinPod) January 29, 2025
Regardless, the core issue with the Wolves trade and Perkins’s opinion on it still stands. After making it to the WCF and looking like a team on an upward trajectory, the Wolves organization should’ve given the side another chance to prove themselves. In order to claim that they are still a great team without KAT, the Wolves will have to at least make it past the first round of the playoffs this year.
The Minnesota Timberwolves without Karl-Anthony Towns
It’s not like the Timberwolves have hit rock bottom since trading KAT, but if we compare where they are against the Knicks, there’s a stark difference. The Wolves are currently in the seventh position with a 25-21 record. They have had a season full of ups and downs so far, but haven’t lost their grip completely.
The Knicks, on the other hand, have been one of the best teams in the league. They’re currently in the third position in the Eastern Conference with a 31-16 record and are closing in on Boston at second. Although the Knicks have a very strong roster, KAT didn’t have to go through a major rough patch to find his place.
The center is averaging 24.9 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 42 games while shooting 54% from the field and 43.2% from the distance. He was recently selected as a starter for the East in the upcoming All-Star game.
