The New York Knicks Championship Odds Took A Huge Leap

After the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns, their chances of winning a championship increased

On September 27, the New York Knicks took the NBA world by surprise when they traded Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Despite the fact that many pundits believe the Timberwolves won the trade, some think the Knicks have improved with their acquisition. According to online sportsbook Bovada, the Knicks’ odds to win the 2025 championship went from +950 to +750.

The Knicks were one of the most impressive teams last year. With a 50-32 record, they advanced to the playoffs for a second straight year but lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Indiana Pacers. While Randle dealt with injuries throughout the year, point guard Jalen Brunson stepped up in an enormous way.

Now, Brunson has the opportunity to play alongside Towns, who had an incredible run in Minnesota. During his nine years with the Timberwolves, he was the face of the franchise and arguably their best player since Kevin Garnett. While playing with the Timberwolves, Towns was a four-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA player who averaged 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He even established himself as one of the greatest “shooting big men” in NBA history as he shot 39.8% from the 3-point line.

Towns can be a huge presence for the Knicks

Although Towns can be an excellent 3-point shooter for his size, he might not be taking that role in New York, considering Brunson and Mikal Bridges are on the roster.

However, his ability to score inside the 3-point line can be effective for the Knicks, who struggled in that area. Last year, they shot just 39.2% from the mid-range area while recording an average of just 48.9 points in the paint. Because Towns is a decent post-up scorer, the Knicks can use that to their advantage, too. When it came to post-up scoring last season, the Knicks averaged just 3.3 points in those situations.

This season has yet to begin, but with the new addition of Towns, things in New York could get interesting.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Fansided’s Wiz of Awes. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson, Instagram @ckenzynelson, and Threads @ckenzynelson