Rival Teams Believe New York Knicks Could Trade Karl-Anthony Towns
Rival teams believe the New York Knicks could trade Karl-Anthony Towns, according to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
Towns doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract. He’s making $53.1 million this season.
“Behind the scenes, Knicks officials have tried to downplay any notion that Karl-Anthony Towns could be traded during the season amid New York’s (and Towns’) January struggles,” Stein wrote. “However, a belief persists among some rival teams that Towns is in play to some degree. Or that the Knicks, at the very least, have tried to get a sense of what his market would be.
“Now would the Knicks, when it actually comes down to it, be willing to surrender Towns in any trade that doesn’t involving acquiring Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo? Would James Dolan and Leon Rose (Towns’ former agent) really sanction any drastic in-season shakeup and possibly make their team smaller by parting with Towns mid-stream? The next 10 days will tell us for sure.”
The Knicks have discussed a trade for Towns with three teams, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. The three teams are the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.
A five-time All-Star, Towns has appeared in 42 games this season. He’s averaging 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 85.6% from the free-throw line.
It will be fascinating to see if the Knicks trade Towns, who was traded by the Minnesota Timberwolves to New York before the start of last season. Towns and Knicks head coach Mike Brown don’t have the “best” relationship, sources told DallasHoopsJournal, so Towns’ future in New York is worth keeping an eye on.
Tom Thibodeau was fired as head coach of the Knicks after the 2025 conference finals and Towns played a big role in the two-time Coach of the Year getting the boot, sources said. Towns complained about Thibodeau during his exit meeting with owner James Dolan, who decided to fire Thibodeau after speaking with multiple key players, sources said.
Towns will make $57.1 million next season. He has a player option worth $61.1 million for the 2027-28 season.
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