Knicks Send Goodbyes to Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo

It takes a village to land a Towns, the New York Knicks learned.

The Knicks and Minnesota Timberwoles confirmed their blockbuster negotiations on Wednesday, as Karl-Anthony Towns will officially make his way to Manhattan. The deal comes at a price, as New York bids farewell to two franchise faces in Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, who will now star in Minneapolis.

Knicks president Leon Rose sent the parting pair off in style, through fawning statements on the team’s social media channels. The deal proves especially bittersweet when it comes to Randle, one of the faces of New York basketball in the ongoing decade that helps launch the Knicks back into the realm of NBA relevancy over the past five years.

“I want to sincerely thank Julius for his contributions to both the Knicks organization and our community,” Rose wrote. “An All-Star and All-NBA player, Julius worked tirelessly day in and day out to represent the Knicks organization with grit, grace and tremendous skill. Julius played a major role in establishing the foundation and culture of our team and we cannot thank Julius enough for what he did for this city and organization both on and off the court.”

Randle came to New York in 2019 after struggling to live up to his lottery pick billing in Los Angeles and New Orleans. In New York, however, he became a genuine NBA star, averaging 22.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. Randle was invited to three All-Star Games and two All-NBA teams for his efforts and his community work likewise proved elite.

While DiVincenzo spent but one year in New York, it’s safe to say he left a lasting impression: the Villanova alum, making up a third of last year’s “‘Nova Knicks” contingent co-starring Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, sank 283 three-pointers last year, setting a New York single-season record while he also set a personal best at 15.5 points a game.

He will perhaps be best remembered in Knicks lore for his victorious triple in Game 2 of of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal against Philadelphia, one referenced by Rose in his parting statements.

“Over the last year, Donte not only captivated the city with one of the most iconic shots in Knicks history, but also immediately bought into the culture we were building here,” Rose said. (He) was an example on and off the court from the moment he arrived as a Knick.”

Knicks probably won’t have to wait long to offer their own thanks yous to DiVincenzo and Randle, as Minnesota is set to visit Madison Square Garden for a preseason game on Oct. 13.

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