The Knicks are going all-in with Karl-Anthony Towns, but are they really that much better?

The New York Knicks decided that a blockbuster offseason move wasn't enough, and perhaps they had one too many Villanova players many days before training camp began.

And after all, what would the NBA be without a team trying to shock the world with a deal just before the teams officially meet for next season?

The Knicks are going all-in in June and acquiring All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. At least for now, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick appear to be off the roster.

Randle is recovering from shoulder surgery following a bad fall in late January, and Jalen Brunson stepped up in his absence, helping the Knicks move to within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals. He joins a team that went one step further with the Timberwolves and made it to the Western Conference Finals – which at first glance seems like a big step, but doesn't necessarily mean a game-changer for either side.

It looks like the Timberwolves, embroiled in an ownership dispute between longtime owner Glen Taylor and the alleged group that includes baseball star Alex Rodriquez, are cutting costs by giving Towns a $220 million contract extension US dollar begins, which he signed a few years ago.

That's not the best sign for things to come, considering how surprisingly this franchise managed to capture attention across the basketball world when it pulled off a stunning upset of the Denver Nuggets in the second round, led by Anthony Edwards .

Towns seemed to fit well into a supporting role after years of being cast as a franchise savior — but now he's headed to the Knicks and back to his old position as center. The Knicks were looking for help when it was announced that Mitchell Robinson would be out after left foot surgery and were already dealing with the departure of center Isaiah Hartenstein, who signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder on a free transfer.

Towns can certainly keep up with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid blow for blow, and the two have a long history, having dueled in a wrestling match in Philadelphia several years ago. And Towns has a long history with Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks coach who has deep roots in the franchise, and chief decision-maker Leon Rose.

Thibodeau demands defensive responsibility and has the wingers to make the Knicks even more dynamic than last season, assuming OG Anunoby can stay healthy with Mikal Bridges arriving from the crosstown Brooklyn Nets. When you factor in Josh Hart, the versatility is obvious, and you might conclude that Town's personnel deficiencies can be made up for on defense given his progress with the Timberwolves, who rose to elite status in the West last year.

But of course the big improvement is Towns' talents on offense. Randle was a sturdy primary ballplayer, unafraid of contact on offense and was largely durable as a Knick until last season's setback.

Randle is a capable scorer and can give the Timberwolves some depth alongside Edwards, but he isn't as efficient or dangerous as Towns in that regard. Towns is probably a better fit for Brunson as he can create space for the wings with his shooting. He was nearly 42% from 3 last year – a huge safety valve for Edwards and point guard Mike Conley.

The Knicks were at their best last year with Hartenstein, Randle and Anunoby in their very short time together until Randle's season-ending injury on January 27th. They dominated and beat teams with their size, and all three have the ability to make plays with an eye on the basket.

That element of the Knicks identity is gone, and DiVincenzo was also a big part of it, contributing to the entertaining “Nova Knicks” story with so many Villanova players on the roster.

But that has morphed into something else as the Knicks are no longer playing just to be playoff party crashers. There are real expectations now, and the Celtics have shown that they are easily the best team in the conference, and real personnel changes will be necessary to compete with them, let alone catch the champions.

Getting Bridges, who can defend three positions – if not four – while also being an efficient scorer, is one of them. It seems like the Knicks think Towns is the other guy, but you'd have to look a long way to see the Knicks emerging on top in a crowded and competitive conference.

It feels a little strange when you think about Randle. Perhaps he wasn't the best fit for this squad as it needed a natural center and he would have been playing in the wrong position and faced the prospect of taking a secondary role with the roster changes.

But two days ago he was with many Knicks dignitaries at a court dedication bearing his name in the Bronx at the Earl Monroe Renaissance Basketball School. Standing alongside Randle in this signing was Thibodeau, and even if this trade came together quickly with all-team training camp starting next week, there could be some hurt feelings as Randle's 2019 signing helped turn the Knicks around .

But this is big business in the NBA — big, bold business — and Randle and DiVincenzo appear to be victims of the Knicks' big dreams. The franchise has emerged from obscurity after years of irrelevance, but now has to come to terms with the weight of true expectations, even if it feels like it hasn't really improved in this ever-changing NBA life.