76ers suffer collateral damage after huge landscape-altering trade

The entire NBA was shook last night following news of All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns heading to the Big Apple, significantly altering the playing field for the upcoming season, The Philadelphia 76ers, firmly in the mix for the pole position in the Eastern Conference, will definitely feel the weight of the newest blockbuster soon enough.

New York landing Towns from Minnesota was arguably the most shocking development in the offseason. With just a few days remaining before training camp officially opens, the Knicks double down on their all-in approach, dangling Julius Randle for a perennial All-Star like Towns while also parting with a key cog in Donte DiVincenzo.

76ers take a hit after Knicks blockbuster trade

Even before moving the needle for Towns, the Knicks were already unanimously considered as a bona fide championship contender heading into the 2024-25 season. They just added Mikal Bridges to a core of Jalen Brunson, Randle, and OG Anunoby in addition to solid, high-level role players like Josh Hart and DiVincenzo.

Now, New York got even better — something that plays adversely to Philadelphia’s outlook as regards its competition pool. Towns, easily the best floor-stretching five in the NBA as of writing, further modernizes the Knicks and pushes them to the top, especially offensively.

The 76ers still have a favorable matchup in the paint with Joel Embiid when pitted against them with Towns not exactly known for his strong one-on-one defense. Still, he’s a bigger body they can throw at the 2023 MVP and other dominant post operators than Randle, who was simply far too undersized to consistently install as a center.

It remains to be seen whether or not Towns can thrive in such a hostile environment like New York and he can coexist with Tom Thibodeau, whom he played under previously to not-so-sterling results, but on paper, this is the most formidable Knicks team in decades.

All in all, the Philadelphia 76ers just saw a key rival get even better right from the get-go. It’s now their turn to show them that they can keep up, if not usurup them altogether, not necessarily by playing the transaction game, but by simply being the better ball club.