May 2, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau coaches against the Miami Heat during the fourth quarter of game two of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference semifinal playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Knicks trade suggestion is more of a nightmare than dream scenario
The offseason is in full swing for the New York Knicks and the rumors have already started. If there are any disgruntled stars that become available to trade, the Knicks are going to be automatically labeled as one of the frontrunners. It comes with the territory.
Since the Timberwolves’ season ended in the first round against the Nuggets, there’s been speculation about Karl-Anthony Towns’ future. The 27-year-old has been in Minnesota since he was drafted in 2015 but has yet to play in a semifinals series. He signed a four-year, $224 million supermax extension last summer, but that hasn’t stopped him from being linked to teams like the Knicks.
It’s been reported that if the Timberwolves were to be open to trading Towns, there would be mutual interest between the center and New York. He’s a CAA client (hello Leon) and grew up in New Jersey as a Knicks fan. Similar to the Donovan Mitchell trade saga, Towns would get to “go home” if he were traded to New York.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes that KAT is a dream trade target for the Knicks. Buckley was right in saying that New York needs more shotmakers and that Towns would help that, but it’s still worth exploring if he’s the player that the Knicks need to go after.
He could at least handle three-headed-monster duties with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, establishing the Knicks as a top-ranked offensive team that actually passes the smell test.
Should the Knicks pursue a trade for Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason?
For starters, New York trading for Karl-Anthony Towns would mean that Mitchell Robinson would be on the move. He signed a four-year, $60 million contract in free agency last summer and averaged 7.4 points and a career-high 9.4 rebounds in 58 regular season games. Robinson is limited offensively, which isn’t something that the Knicks would have to worry about with Towns as he’s a 39.5% career three-point shooter.
The thing with Towns, though, is that whichever star New York goes after will be expected to boost the team to the level of being a contender. Towns has won a combined four playoff games in Minnesota and with the exception of the 2021-22 season where he played 74 games, he’s had availability issues. He played in only 29 regular season games in 2022-23 due to a calf strain, 50 games in 2020-21, and 35 games in 2019-20.
On top of that, the Knicks would have to send a hefty package to the Timberwolves for KAT. Sure, he has connections with Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau, but New York might have to draw a line in the sand.
