Sources: Knicks to send Randle, DiVincenzo to Timberwolves for Towns - ESPN

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves are finalizing a blockbuster trade involving All-Stars Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday night.

The deal would see Randle and Donte DiVincenzo wind up in Minnesota and Towns in New York. The Knicks are set to add a center in Towns to shore up their biggest weakness, and Minnesota is adding shooting and versatility in its quest to exceed last season's run to the Western Conference finals.

Minnesota also will receive a 2025 top-13-protected first-round pick from New York via the Detroit Pistons, sources said.

The Charlotte Hornets are the third team in the trade, sources added, and they are expected to receive draft compensation for helping make the deal work financially.

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Talks between New York and Minnesota had taken place all summer but picked up steam in the past few days when Charlotte was brought in as the third team, sources said.

The trade was not expected to be completed for a few days.

Having just arrived back in Minnesota for the start of training camp next week, Towns was focused on building off the Timberwolves' West finals run, and the development was «completely unexpected,» a source familiar with his thinking told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Towns, who grew up a little under an hour outside of New York City in central New Jersey, will immediately slot into New York's starting lineup at center, filling a