The New York Knicks are making some moves after acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round pick.

The trade is a stunner as both teams are just days away from the start of training camp in potentially competing seasons, but they both feel it’s the best trade for them.

Here are three reasons why the Knicks made the deal:

The Knicks needed a center so bad that they didn’t want to go into the season and test their current group for depth behind Mitchell Robinson, who suffered an injury last season and required two surgeries to correct it.

The Knicks also lacked confidence in Robinson as their starter when he returned, forcing New York to make a trade.

Without many trade assets, they pulled the trigger on their biggest and moved Randle to land Towns.

The Knicks were hoping to get Randle back at the start of the regular season, and there wasn’t much evidence to suggest he wouldn’t be healthy.

However, the Knicks didn’t want to waste another season with Randle potentially getting hurt. They have the depth at the wing position with Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, and they can all fit on the court next to Jalen Brunson.

The Knicks were willing to work out Randle because he is a three-time All-Star and can fit anywhere, but they likely feel Towns fits in more lineups.

The Knicks spent more than a month negotiating a potential extension with Randle, but no progress was made.

Randle has the option to opt out of his player option and become a free agent after the season.

The Knicks probably couldn’t come to a solution and wanted to make sure they got something in return. They potentially make this trade on the winning side by acquiring the best player, but they are also careful not to leave a big hole in their roster.

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