During an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter video link), Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns confirmed that he’d “for sure” be willing to accept less than his maximum salary on a contract extension.
“I want this team to stay together,” Towns said. “That’s always been my main priority, was to keep everyone here, to keep this core, this special team that we have. So it was the first thing on my mind as soon as (extension talks started). There was nowhere in my mind a max was even thought of.”
Before the Knicks announced they were tabling contract talks with their extension-eligible players, their offer to Towns was said to be in the range of $50MM annually. The six-time All-Stars maximum would be worth a projected $276MM over four seasons ($69MM per year).
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
Knicks head coach Mike Brown showed throughout last season that he was willing to experiment with different lineup combinations and defensive coverages, and that was the case again during New York’s season-opening loss to Philadelphia, writes Fred Katz of The Athletic. After Towns picked up two quick fouls early in the first quarter, Brown ended up playing backup center Andre Drummond 14 consecutive minutes — longer than the burly veteran is accustomed to at this point in his career. The 33-year-old was very productive during that stretch, recording a double-double with three assists, but he visibly wore down in the second half. “You could say it’s like trial and error,” Jalen Brunson said of Brown. “He’s not afraid to go out there and just try things, and if things don’t work, then we’re gonna figure something out. But he’s always willing to seek suggestions, seek help and figure out what’s the best way to actually prepare a team.”
Kawhi Leonard continues to ramp up his activity this fall after an offseason in which he spent extended time in limbo due to the uncertainty over whether (and when) he’d be traded to the Raptors, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. While the 35-year-old forward wasn’t at his best during Wednesday’s season opener, shooting just 5-of-17 from the field, he still contributed 23 points, six rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block in 24 minutes during Toronto’s 43-point drubbing of Chicago. “I don’t have targets (for when he will be up to full speed),” said Leonard. “You can’t rush greatness. Whenever medical things I can push forward and I’m feeling great, whatever numbers they’re looking at, that’s when the time will come. But I’m just happy to be out there and do the best I can with the minutes I have.”
New Celtics center Mitchell Robinson appreciates that head coach Joe Mazzulla has been encouraging him to move past Tuesday’s disappointing season opener in Detroit, but he knows he has to be much better going forward, as Jay King of The Athletic writes. “I use it as fuel,” Robinson said. “*Kind of have to. I mean, last game, we got demolished. As a big, you can’t let that happen.*” Mazzulla referred to the 28-year-old big man as a “very important piece to what we do” but acknowledged it will likely take Robinson some time to adjust to a new offensive system.
The Celtics will host the Knicks for their home opener on Friday, but Robinson said he wasn’t focused on the matchup against his longtime former team, King adds in the same story. “It don’t really matter that much,” said Robinson, who spent his first eight years in New York prior to signing with Boston in free agency. “It’s more so just trying to bounce back from what happened two nights ago.” The Celtics blew a 22-point lead in the second half on Tuesday, with Robinson contributing just four points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.