The Knicks are in the midst of stunning swoon in the standings after losing nine of their last 11 games, including a blowout defeat to a lottery-bound Mavericks team on Monday night. New York has gone from a 23-9 start to the season under new head coach Mike Brown to the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
The biggest struggles have come primarily on the defensive end of the floor and it’s leading the Knicks to consider some radical options to shake things up heading into the trade deadline. According to Steve Popper of Newsday, there have been “whispers” circulating around the league about the possibility of the Knicks trading Karl-Anthony Towns.
League sources tell Popper the Knicks have discussed Towns deals with several teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.
The Knicks made a blockbuster trade with the Wolves to land Towns in September 2024, sending out Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Wolves. However, Towns’ defensive limitations have always been a weak spot, particularly in the postseason. With star guard Jalen Brunson also being a constant defensive target alongside Towns, it’s easy to see why the Knicks may be considering shoring up that side of the ball more ahead of a postseason run.
The challenging part about any deal involving Towns will be his salary. The big man makes $53 million this year and is still under contract through 2027-28 (final year is a player option). The uncertain availability of Giannis Antetokounmpo before the trade deadline also looms large in the next two weeks as the Knicks would undoubtedly be a suitor for him if made available. Whether they would have the necessary assets to land him is another question. They would need to offer far more than Towns to make that deal.
If Antetokounmpo stays put in Milwaukee, the Knicks could look at taking back multiple players in exchange for Towns to better balance their rotation. Their offseason signings have failed to provide much of a boost (Guerschon Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson) and they don’t have any trade value so shaking things up will require moving a high-salaried player.
The Celtics currently hold a 1.5 game lead over the Knicks for the No. 2 seed. The two rivals will play the next game in their regular season series on Feb. 8 in Boston, three days after the trade deadline.