The New York Knicks completed a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets to acquire Mikal Bridges late on Tuesday night, and that has implications for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Karl-Anthony Towns, as the Knicks gave up the assets they could have potentially used to acquire the star player down the line eventually. We have an idea of what the Timberwolves are planning with some tax concerns coloring the future of the team.

“New York has now foregone its cleanest paths toward acquiring higher-wattage superstars who might one day become available,” Zach Lowe of ESPN wrote. “This front-office has tentacles everywhere. You have to defer to their intel. They might have reason to believe Giannis Antetokounmpo will not become available via trade in the medium-term future. The same might be true of Joel Embiid, a long-rumored Knicks dream target who is 30 with an increasingly scary injury history. (Bridges never misses games.) The Wolves hope to hang onto Karl-Anthony Towns despite tax concerns, sources said, and he might not be the best fit in New York anyway given his massive contract and so-so defense. Jaylen Brown? Yeah, I think Boston is good, thanks.”

There is a lot related to the Knicks' pursuit of star players there, and the easiest takeaway is that they felt trading for Mikal Bridges was a good fit for a player who was actually attainable in comparison to the other star players listed. The Knicks have been connected to Towns in the past, but after the Timberwolves made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, they seem set on keeping this group together, which makes a lot of sense.

Timberwolves look to break through with established core

Towns has been a divisive player throughout his career, but watching the playoff run for the Timberwolves, there is no doubt that he is a very important player for a team that has legitimate championship hopes. The goal will be to build and add supplemental pieces to a core that made a deep run.

Minnesota has made some moves that have garnered criticism over the past few years. Some believed it might have been smart to move on from Towns, but they appear committed to him.

Then, some questioned Anthony Edwards' dedication to basketball before he was selected with the No. 1 pick. Now, Anthony Edwards is an unquestioned superstar who is a huge reason why the Timberwolves have championship hopes.

The trade for Rudy Gobert was huge as well, and the Timberwolves were heavily critiqued for giving up so many draft picks to add him. Now, the Rudy Gobert trade does not look too bad, as it helped Minnesota emerge as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

It will be interesting to see how the Timberwolves fare next season, and if they can come out on top next postseason by keeping their core intact.