Vinny's Take: Nuggets big beneficiaries of blockbuster trade between Timberwolves, Knicks

The winner of the blockbuster trade between the Knicks and Timberwolves may very well be the Nuggets.

Denver wasn’t involved in the three-team trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota to New York in exchange Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round draft pick from Detroit. Charlotte, by taking on some salary from the Knicks in return for draft compensation, helped facilitate the trade that looks beneficial to the Nuggets’ chances of reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said he wasn’t aware of the trade until media asked him about it after practice Saturday afternoon.

“What trade?” Murray said with a straight face.

“I’m not on social media. I just worry about us. I don’t really care about anybody else.”

With the new collective bargaining agreement, the Timberwolves were always going to have to move Towns or Rudy Gobert if they had any hopes of staying under the second apron of the luxury tax, but Minnesota could’ve gone all in on the upcoming season before deciding whom to trade. It feels similar to Denver’s tough decision to effectively let Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walk in free agency in that it decreased the team’s championship odds for next season but could keep the championship window open for longer given the increased flexibility. Losing Towns is a bigger step back for Minnesota than Caldwell-Pope’s exit from Denver.

The issue for the Timberwolves is they just lost a crucial page from their playbook to beat the Nuggets. Towns was impactful on both ends in last season’s second-round series. His defensive work on Nikola Jokic allowed Rudy Gobert to act as a secondary line of defense. Randle, at 6-foot-8, doesn’t have the size to duplicate the strategy. Neither does Naz Reid, who’s three inches shorter than Towns. Either way, Minnesota has one fewer option than they did last season.

DiVincenzo is a valuable addition on a team friendly contract, but the wings won’t be Minnesota’s issue thanks to Edwards, McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Joe Ingles and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who impressed in Summer League.

Offensively, it raises another problem for the Timberwolves. Towns is a better shooter and more efficient scorer than Randle or Reid. That will put significantly more pressure on Edwards. Surrounding one of the game’s best up-and-comers with Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Randle or Reid and Gobert doesn’t offer much spacing or secondary creation outside of Conley, who’s about to turn 37.

There’s also the chemistry aspect. Towns and Edwards seemed pretty tight. Randle, who’s spent his entire career in Los Angeles or New York outside of a lone season with New Orleans, could leave Minnesota as a free agent next summer, though he does have a player option worth nearly $31 million for the 2025-26 season.

The Timberwolves are more vulnerable than they were a year ago. That leaves an Oklahoma City team with tons of talent and depth but not as much playoff experience and a Mavericks squad that Denver matches up favorably with as the Nuggets’ biggest competition.

That’s a win for Denver.