The New York Knicks have had their eyes on Minnesota Timberwolves former All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns for quite some time, but with the Wolves’ Western Conference-leading success this season, his availability is now unclear.
Knicks: Is There Too Much Hype Behind KAT’s Availability?
As Jordanna Clark of Daily Knicks relayed, sources say that the Wolves’ willingness to deal Towns may be a stretch:
“So, what about the KAT-Knicks trade rumors?” Clark presented. “New York is reportedly monitoring his situation, but according to Action Network’s Matt Moore, a source close to the organization claims that the belief that Towns is available in a trade is “overblown.”
Towns has taken a backseat to Anthony Edwards, who appears to be emerging as the new franchise player. Edwards is getting up four more shot attempts and points per game than Towns. Nevertheless, the Wolves are 10-3 and tearing through the West through the early stages of the season.
While Towns’ status as the alpha on the team may or may not still be active, he’s been vital to the Timberwolves’ success, and trading him runs the risk of throwing off their groove. Also, his fit alongside center Rudy Gobert has been less destructive to the team’s flow, though the Wolves are only shooting 30.5 percent from deep and not as torrid an offense as they were two years ago.
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Meanwhile, the Knicks have also found their footing as winners of four of their last six games. The Knicks have seen improvement from reigning All-NBA Third Team member Julius Randle with Jalen Brunson and RJ Barrett shouldering the offensive load.
With the way Barrett and Mitchell Robinson — the NBA’s best offensive rebounder — are playing, the Knicks might be wise to evaluate their play further before giving the Timberwolves a hard knock on the front office’s door, as they’d likely be centerpieces in a potential deal.
