The New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks battled over six — well, more like five — playoff games last spring, with both teams fueling a budding Eastern Conference rivalry.
Now, the Hawks are angling to nab star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, weakening their rival and strengthening their ascending core led by Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu.
With the Knicks and Towns in a contract extension stalemate, the NBA, particularly the Eastern Conference, waits to see what unfolds between both sides after the franchise announced that it is tabling all negotiations for now.
Could Hawks Steal Towns From Knicks?
According to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, the Hawks are among three teams in the mix to potentially make a lucrative contract offer to Towns if he opts to enter free agency next summer. Towns, 30, has a player-option worth $61.1 million for the 2027-28 season.
“Towns has shown a willingness to reduce that 2027-28 number to allow the Knicks flexibility — in return for a large long-term guarantee, of course,” Windhorst reported Friday. “Having a player option gives the six-time All-Star a measure of leverage, but the Knicks could simply let him pick it up and not have to radically alter the roster. Pathway No. 2: If Towns isn’t extended, he could opt out and enter free agency. There definitely are teams –- starting with the Golden State Warriors, LA Clippers and Atlanta Hawks –- that would probably line up to make big offers. This is what other teams are studying with the Knicks.”
With the nature of the NBA’s apron rules, the Knicks are headed toward losing at least one player from their now title-winning core. Windhorst noted that forward Josh Hart, along with guard Miles “Deuce” McBride, “would likely” get moved if the Knicks priortize retaining Towns and the star big man signs a deal worth around what he prefers.
Towns Would Level Up Atlanta, an Already Rising East Contender
What Towns proved last season is that he is a vital piece of a championship core. That he can be the second option on a title-winning team. Then again, that’s the hopes — perhaps even the expectations — the Knicks had for Towns when they traded for the former No. 1 overall pick ahead of the 2024-25 regular season.
Meanwhile, the Hawks took a giant step last season under the on-court leadership of veteran guard CJ McCollum, who was acquried from the Washington Wizards ahead of the midseason trade deadline. Atlanta was off the races after the trade, closing the season with wins in 30 of their final 47 games, enough to launch them from the play-in to a top-six seed in the East.
In the offseason, the Hawks added champions Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a move that substantially strengthened their depth.
With a full season of McCollum ingratiated into the core of Johnson, Alexander-Walker and Okongwu, the Hawks could contend for homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
And if the dominoes fall favorably, the Hawks could make a push for Towns in a move that could make them one of the teams to beat in the conference.
Knicks Get Bad News as 1 East Rival Set to Make Major Karl-Anthony Towns Move