New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns during an NBA game.
If it feels like the New York Knicks are living inside an endless “NBA trade deadline rumors” loop, Ben Stiller basically just grabbed the remote and hitmute.
The longtime, highly visible celebrity Knicks fan weighed in on X amid the latest Karl-Anthony Towns trade chatter, framing Towns as a pro riding out the “clickbait” storm, and, more importantly, as a star who’s still impacting winning even while his shots aren’t falling.
Ben Stiller
I’m no expert and just a fan but my feeling is KAT wants to win. Period. It’s clear he’s completely dedicated through a hailstorm of clickbait rumors. Trying to find his way with so many distractions and shots not dropping is still a +19 and has record breaking half of 16
That’s notable because this isn’t just random fan therapy. Towns has been the kind of name that makes “NBA Trade Machine” fingers itch: a max-level talent, a big contract, and a recent stretch that’s created an easy, lazy storyline. But the on-court baseline is still there. Towns is averaging about 20 points and nearly 12 rebounds this season, and the rebounding number sits at the very top of the league leaderboard.
And yes, the trade noise is real.Towns himself addressed the swirl, emphasizing he stays focused on winning and tries to block out the outside chatter.
Why Towns trade chatter is suddenly glued to Giannis rumors
Towns talk isn’t happening in a vacuum; it’s getting supercharged by the wider league-level tremor that Milwaukee may at least be open to conversations around Giannis Antetokounmpo.ESPN’s reportinghas framed it as the Bucks opening trade talks and league executives doing the mental math on which teams can even build a credible offer.
When a player of Giannis’ magnitude gets attached to “trade destinations,” every contender gets tossed into the blender, Knicks included.NBC Sports listed New York among the potential landing spots in the rumor cycle.
So Towns becomes amechanism in fan logic: “If the Knicks want Giannis, who’s the biggest movable piece?” That’s where the Towns-centered hypotheticals keep coming from, even if actual traction is another story.
Does Giannis have a no-trade clause?
This is spiking because fans want a clean answer to a messy reality: even if the Bucks listen, does Giannis get to decide?
A true no-trade clause is extremely rare in the NBA, and eligibility to evennegotiate one requires eight years of service and four years with the current team, and it has to be included in the contract, not assumed.
At minimum, the broader point is: don’t treat “no-trade clause” like a default superstar perk. In most scenarios, control comes from leverage (contract length, extension willingness), not a formal veto.
The Knicks’ reality: win-now focus, roster questions, and the Jordan Clarkson factor
The Knicks’ own rotation churn adds fuel. Jordan Clarkson is on the roster this season, and his reduced role has been part of the deadline conversation around minutes and lineup decisions. That matters because when fans search Clarkson + Trade Machine, they’re really searching for a clean bench-scoring solution that doesn’t cost a core piece.
Meanwhile, New York’s engine remains Jalen Brunson, who’s putting up 27.6 points and 6.0 assists this season. That’s the other reason Stiller’s stance resonates: if Brunson is driving a real East fight, the fan fear is that a panic move chips away at a team that can actually “battle out the east,” to borrow Stiller’s framing.
So… are the Knicks trading Towns?
Right now, the cleanest way to say it: there’s a ton of noise, and not much confirmed signal. Reporting around the situation has emphasized the speculation and the slump narrative, but also that Towns has tried to tune it out and that the Knicks aren’t necessarily deep in active Towns trade talks just because the internet is.
The deadline (February 5) is close enough that the rumor machine will keep feeding itself. Stiller just provided the counter-programming Knicks fans have been begging for: stop treating a temporary cold streak like a permanent identity, and stop acting like every Giannis headline automatically means Towns is gone.