The Minnesota Timberwolves will visit the New York Knicks in a cross-conference matchup on Friday's NBA schedule. New York is 27-15 overall and 13-7 at home, while Minnesota is 21-19 overall and 11-10 on the road.

Julius Randle appears to be on increasingly thin ice in Minnesota, not closing as many games, not endearing himself to the fans, and his albatross of a player option is threatening the Timberwolves’ ability to retain Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid.

As a reminder, these teams exchanged superstars in the offseason with Julius Randle heading to Minneapolis and Karl-Anthony Towns moving to the Big Apple. The Timberwolves lost at home Wednesday night to the Golden State Warriors, 116-115. New York won in overtime Wednesday in Philadelphia, 125-119, over the 76ers.

When the New York Knicks made a massive trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, the expectations for both teams changed. The

NBA trade rumors are heating up with the deadline just one week away. No big names have been moved yet, but the rumor mill has been flooded with tons of new intel as everyone around the league tries to improve either their short- or long-term outlook.

The New York Knicks reportedly may be willing to part with injured center Mitchell Robinson before the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. According to James