Kickin' it with Kiz: Nikola Jokic's buddy Tim Connelly did Joker a big favor by trading Karl-Anthony Towns

I think Minnesota trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks makes the Timberwolves significantly worse unless there are more moves to come. Minnesota was thin on shooting; now the T-Wolves are even thinner, with another ball dominant player in Julius Randle to fit alongside Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards? I just don’t get it.

– Dan, hoopshead

Kiz: The happiest person on earth about this trade should be Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. He should no longer feel the need to clone himself, because the tall timber in Minnesota has been thinned.

As a Wolves fan, I fully trust roster architect Tim Connelly and the moves he makes. But I also don’t like what trading KAT does for the 2024-25 NBA season in Minnesota. I think this trade is more of a long-term move.

– Adam, tortured Minny fan

Kiz: The NBA’s salary-cap puzzle has become a Rubik’s Cube with a mean streak. What Connelly did was find a way to unload a $50 million player who is not a true game-changer for a cheaper alternative in Randle. The caveat? Connelly will have another tough decision to make in less than a year, when Randle will almost certainly exercise his right to opt out of contract paying him a $30 million salary.

Hello, Nuggets championship parade.

– Nick, Aurora

Kiz: Not so fast, my friend. While the knuckleheads here at Kickin’ It Headquarters can be hopeless fanboys of the Ant-Man in Minny, the far bigger threat to Denver advancing out of the Western Conference can be found with those young guns in Oklahoma City, pardner.

Russell Westbrook will make a big impact on the Nuggets if coach Michael Malone gives him more than just a handful of minutes with Jokic, and an even bigger impact if Jamal Murray works as hard as Westbrook.

– Mr. C, bumping fists

Kiz: What the Nuggets need most is a threat from beyond the three-point arc. Westbrook isn’t likely to help them with that issue. So here’s looking at you, Julian Strawther. For Denver to have a legit shot of returning to the NBA Finals, Strawther needs to have as much impact on the second unit as Westbrook does.

Adding Westbrook to the Nuggets? Mistakes were made. He will be cut during the season.

– O.P.R., Lakewood

Kiz: Jeez, Louise. And folks think I’m the negative one around here? Yes, I’d rather have Bruce Brown than Brodie coming off the bench for the Nuggets. But Westbrook should be a major upgrade over Reggie Jackson.

And today’s parting shot takes issue with me wondering if the Broncos practicing on pickleball courts in West Virginia so coach Sean Payton could hang out at the Greenbrier was the smartest use of two million bucks by the team.

Nobody but the Broncos knows how it affects the team’s preparation for the New York Jets or what overall impacts will be seen down the road. They’re doing a lot of team-building that wouldn’t be done back in Denver. Why does this require your uninformed opinion, Kiz? Never mind, I answered my own question.

– Blake, country roads lover