Things are still settling in the wake of the seismic shift that occurred under the walls of the Timberwolves’ practice facility after a deal was struck to send Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round pick.

Part of Minnesota’s thinking with the move was indeed to create future flexibility in years to come as it aims to consistently put a team together year after year around Anthony Edwards that’s capable of contending for a championship. The Wolves are now better positioned to be nimble within that pursuit in future offseasons.

But are they any worse off in the now? It’s natural for the instant gut reaction to be a “Yes.” Karl-Anthony Towns has become a perennial all-star. He was Minnesota’s second most-talented player. Surely, losing him has to be a blow.

But the sportsbook odds for the Timberwolves to win the title actually dipped from 11-to-1 pre-trade to 10-to-1 after the deal was reported. Why? Here’s a look at where Minnesota’s roster and rotation potentially stands now, and where the Wolves may have improved.

GUARDS: Mike Conley is still the starting point guard. And Rob Dillingham was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft over the summer to be Conley’s heir apparent. But Dillingham is 19 years old and, ideally, teenagers aren’t major contributors for title contenders. The addition of DiVincenzo bolsters Minnesota’s wing depth and adds another player capable of serving as a secondary playmaker.

The extra wing allows for lineups where Minnesota can likely run out Edwards or Nickeil Alexander-Walker as the “point guard,” knowing it can still have plenty of ball handling, playmaking and shooting around the non-traditional floor general to make those lineups work better.

Dillingham can perhaps then be brought along at a slower pace — should that prove beneficial — with a smaller workload.

WINGS: The Boston Celtics’ dominance last season reenforced the “wings win” narrative that’s taken over the NBA. Well, Minnesota continues to add to its arsenal in that regard, as well. In Edwards, Alexander-Walker, DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota now has four starting-caliber wings, who could all even be featured in lineups together that would prove difficult for opponents to match up against.  McDaniels seeing a few minutes at power forward is something Minnesota could at least explore as the season wears on.

And that’s not even mentioning veteran Joe Ingles and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr., who will likely see situational action and could be more heavily leaned upon when injuries inevitably strike. Like Dillingham, Shannon’s opportunities likely dipped with the acquisition of DiVincenzo, who should hover around 30 minutes per game, even off the bench, but that’s generally life for a rookie playing for a top-tier team.

BIGS: Minnesota doesn’t lose much in terms of depth. The Knicks needed Towns because of the uncertainty of their center position. He will slot into his natural position for New York at the five spot. Minnesota still has Rudy Gobert anchoring the starting center position. Julius Randle will likely start at the power forward spot, assuming the shoulder injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign early is completely healthy, with reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Naz Reid, again coming off the bench.

But those three each feature varying skill sets, allowing for Minnesota to pick and choose when to employ each of the bigs depending on the looks it wants to give opponents. Riding Randle or Reid could also be a hot-hand scenario on any given night, with a Luka Garza insurance policy lurking deeper down the bench.

POTENTIAL ROTATION

Here’s an estimation for potential minute loads to open the season, assuming Randle is healthy:

STARTERS

Mike Conley: 28 minutes

Anthony Edwards: 36 minutes

Jaden McDaniels: 34 minutes

Julius Randle: 28 minutes

Rudy Gobert: 30 minutes

RESERVES

Donte DiVincenzo: 30 minutes

Naz Reid: 26 minutes

Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 20 minutes

Rob Dillingham: 8 minutes

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