The Knicks have been as aggressive as any team in the Eastern Conference this season in their attempt to dethrone the Celtics by reshaping their roster. New York took another huge step on that front Friday night, landing Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a stunning three-team blockbuster trade first reported by the Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The Knicks will reportedly send Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a heavily protected future first-round pick (via Detroit) to the Wolves in exchange for Towns to bolster their center position. The Knicks will also send DaQuan Jeffries and set up compensation for the Hornets to make the salary matching work in the three-team deal. The move comes as a blowout for a pair of teams that made deep playoff runs last year, with the Knicks falling one game shy of the East Finals and the Wolves losing to the Mavericks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

However, the motives for the deal are relatively clear to both parties, despite the surprising timing of the deal. Let’s look at both sides of the deal from the Celtics’ perspective.

Why the Wolves made the deal

This is a deal largely driven by finances. Towns made a whopping $49 million on his contract, and with repeat taxes set to go into effect in Minnesota next year, the team’s $205 million payroll was clearly not sustainable for ownership. The Wolves have an adequate replacement for Towns on their bench in Naz Reid and pick up a former All-Star in Randle, along with DiVincenzo, who will immediately be a valuable wing for them. It’s unclear what their long-term plans are for Randle with his expiring deal, but this is a move that will allow them to remain competitive in the present while reducing payrolls in the long term. The keys to the franchise are now also officially handed over to Anthony Edwards.

Why the Knicks made the deal

The center position has been a major concern for the Knicks following the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein this offseason. With Mitchell Robinson expected to miss at least two months of the year after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, Towns is a proven answer to fill that void. The Knicks paid a high price for Towns in player assets, but he is certainly seen as an upgrade over Randle, who the Knicks did not appear to want to extend.

Towns has his question marks on the defensive end, but he certainly unlocks a much more dangerous scoring lineup for them, which will be a handful for the Celtics to guard. However, Boston will still be able to attack Towns by playing five shooters, so the question is how much this deal will close the talent gap between the two teams.

The Celtics will face the new-look Knicks on opening night at TD Garden on October 22.