Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
The New York Knicks halted their four-game slide with an impressive 120-66 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
However, one win isn’t going to change the current narrative surrounding Mike Brown’s team. Instead, the Knicks will need to start stacking wins. That’s the only way to re-establish themselves as a genuine contender in the Eastern Conference this season.
Throughout the Knicks’ difficult run of games, Karl-Anthony Towns has received significant criticism. Fans have been frustrated with both for his work effort and some less-than-inspiring offensive performances. As such, his future with the franchise has begun to emerge as a topic of conversation.
With that in mind, Jedd Pagaduan of ClutchPoints has proposed a trade that would see the Knicks move on from Towns. In return, New York would receive four impact-making new additions. The trade proposal looks like this:
New York Knicks Get: Miles Bridges, Collin Sexton, Tidjane Salaun, Ryan Kalkbrenner and a 2027 first-round draft pick from the Miami Heat
Charlotte Hornets Get: Karl-Anthony Towns and Pacome Dadiet
“There’s a merit for the Knicks to try and open up some sort of cap room over the next few seasons to try and surround their Jalen Brunson-led core with more role players who fit instead of devoting a significant portion of their player payroll to a single player,” Pagaduan wrote. “Here is where the Hornets’ potential offer makes sense. Bridges is making just $25 million this year and around $22 million for next year, and his contract is so easy to trade away, giving them flexibility. For the meantime, he can slot into the four for the Knicks, with Mitchell Robinson reclaiming his starting spot.”
New York currently has 14 players under contract. As such, if this proposed trade were to go ahead, the Knicks would need to waive someone to create enough roster space for the deal to go ahead.
Rival Teams Open To Trading For KAT
According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, rival teams from around the NBA haven’t ruled out a potential trade for Towns.
“I know [James] Dolan came out and publicly said that this is the roster and he doesn’t expect any big moves,” Edwards reported on Jan. 21. “But as New York continues to free-fall, and I keep talking to people around the league, it would not stun me if Karl-Anthony Towns got traded. I wouldn’t bet on it, but it’s something I’m monitoring. The return wouldn’t be grand. But it would be considered a “big” move given all that has taken place in New York over the last 1.5 years.”
Moving on from Towns would be a significant gamble for the Knicks. He’s a core part of the roster and arguably a top-three offensive big man in the NBA. If the front office and coaching staff aren’t sold that he can be part of a championship core, it makes sense to explore his market.
In a Jan. 20 article from Edwards III, he opined that New York should become proactive in looking to turn the season around.
“The Knicks have to be proactive. The sample is large enough now to suggest this team just might not work,” Edwards shared. “So, whether it’s trading Towns to somewhere he feels more comfortable or one of the wings they’ve invested real money and draft capital in to be lockdown defenders, the Knicks need to do something. Changing the coach after the big deal the organization made last offseason about the previous coach being the lone issue would be too much egg on the face.”
With two weeks left until the trade deadline, the Knicks have plenty of time to explore their options. Nevertheless, the aim should still be to make the current roster work.
How New York performs in its next handful of games could shape the front office’s approach to trade discussions.