Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Rumors: Knicks Never Had ‘Serious’ Negotiations with Wolves

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJune 14, 2024

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Amid their search for another star to play alongside Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the New York Knicks reportedly haven’t made a significant attempt to pry Karl-Anthony Towns away from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks have “never engaged in serious trade negotiations” involving Towns despite long having “an eye” on him.

Towns, who signed a four-year, $221.09 million contract extension with the T-Wolves in 2022 through at least the 2026-27 season, helped Minnesota finish with a 56-26 record this season, culminating in a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

The 28-year-old Towns was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career this season, as he averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, which represented a nice bounce back from the previous season when he was limited to 29 games due to injury.

Even so, his 2023-24 numbers were actually below his career averages of 22.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest.

While the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft was Minnesota’s clear go-to guy earlier in his career, he is now firmly behind guard Anthony Edwards, who is developing into a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate.

It can also be argued that Towns was a less important player than center Rudy Gobert this season from an all-around perspective, as Gobert was named Defensive Player of the Year.

Towns also had some struggles during the playoffs, averaging 19.1 points per game and shooting just 46.6 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Head coach Chris Finch even benched Towns at times for Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, leading to questions about Towns’ long-term future in Minnesota.

If the T-Wolves do decide to trade Towns, New York could be an ideal landing spot since the Knicks already have one of the league’s best guards in Brunson.

However, Katz noted that Towns had a “complicated relationship” with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau when he coached him in Minnesota, although people close to Thibodeau believe he has reconciled with Towns and could work well with him in New York.

Even with many of their key players getting felled by injuries during the playoffs this season, they fell only one win short of the Eastern Conference Finals.

That suggests the acquisition of an All-Star like Towns could put them over the top and make them a championship contender, but it remains unclear if the T-Wolves would want to move him given how close they got to the NBA Finals this season.