The Knicks have already made several blockbuster moves this off-season, sending five first-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Mikal Bridges and extending OG Anunoby on a deal worth over $40 million per season.
Knicks’ Contract Considerations and Financial Strategy
The Knicks still have a few contracts left to figure out, including those of Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, if they want him on a long-term deal. At the moment, the Knicks have a bit of flexibility, but according to CP The Franchise of Knicks Fan TV, they’re still considering acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Karl-Anthony Towns: A Costly Prospect
Towns is coming off a great season with Minnesota, but his contract is excessively expensive and would certainly put the Knicks in a tough financial situation. Currently, the 28-year-old is entering a four-year, $220.4 million deal with a $49.2 million cap hit next season. The Knicks simply can’t handle that amount of money unless they offload one of their current players and reach the second salary apron at $189.5 million. Even if they reached the second apron and traded Mitchell Robinson, they would still have around $31.8 million in available salary space, so they would have to move Randle if that’s the direction they wanted to go in.
Towns’ Impact and Fit with the Knicks
Minnesota likely can’t keep Towns on his current deal given their financial restraints, so the Knicks could be interested, but they would have to get extremely creative and likely break up some of their core players to get the deal done. This past season, Towns averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, three assists, and shot .504 from the field and .416 from downtown. He was a tremendous shooter this past campaign, serving as a power forward and earning another All-Star nod. However, his performance was volatile during the playoffs, though he performed well for the most part.
Assessing Alternative Options
Of course, this would be a mind-blowing move for the Knicks, who would present another aggressive big man with extraordinary rebounding qualities and shooting capabilities. However, they already have enough scoring options, and adding another in Towns, who averaged 15.3 attempts per game, might be overkill. Instead, the team has been linked to Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz as a primary rebounding center with blocking qualities.
- Knicks’ Jalen Brunson seen working out with former teammate in new video
- Knicks could lean on project center to step up and fill weakest link
- Knicks missed out on their top two free agent centers this offseason
Strategic Decisions Ahead
Keeping things the way they are and complimenting Robinson seems like the better move than consuming KAT’s contract, which will pay him $61 million during the 2027–28 season when he’s 32 years old on a player option. That seems like a devastating acquisition rather than one that will truly enhance their playoff window.