Could the Cleveland Cavaliers take advantage of what appears to be an increasingly shaky situation between the New York Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns?
The Cavs watched the Knicks stomp all over them in last spring’s Eastern Conference finals, but the feeling is that Cleveland is ready to come back this season with more firepower to make noise in the Eastern Conference. Of course, the Knicks sit on the throne until someone kicks them off. Watch out for Cleveland, which is entering the first full season with the trio of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Don’t forget the offseason addition of rising swingman Peyton Watson.
Meanwhile, the Knicks and Towns remain distant in contract negotiations, with the NBA champion big man recently acknowledging that the situation between the two sides doesn’t appear to be nearing an answer.
Cavs Named a Potential Landing Spot for Knicks Superstar
Amid stalling contract negotiations, Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters listed three teams that could be in play for Towns if the Knicks and the soon-to-be 31-year-old big man are unable to reach an agreement. Peters believes the Cavs could be in play for Towns.
“As it stands now, the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to enter the 2026-27 campaign with the same core they had last year,” Peters wrote. “With a star center potentially on the trade block, the Cavs’ front office should reconsider whether that’s the right plan of attack. Cleveland has been on the brink of competing for a title over the last few years, but continues to fall short. The addition of James Harden last year helped the Cavs reach the conference finals, but they ultimately didn’t have enough to get over the hump.”
Surely Towns wouldn’t come cheap. If the Cavs were interested in acquiring the Knicks star, Peters believes Cleveland would have to part ways with either Jarrett Allen or former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley, a 2024-25 All-NBA selection.
“The team is built around Donovan Mitchell, and that isn’t going to change, but the Cavs could look into trading Evan Mobley for Towns or package Jarrett Allen with a handful of role players or picks,” Peters wrote. “The latter would probably be the more favorable option since Mobley is just 25 years old and is entering his prime.”
N.Y. and Towns Not Seeing Eye to Eye
The other 29 NBA teams surely don’t mind seeing the reigning NBA champions dealing with a little bit of drama. The Knicks wouldn’t want to break up their core just months after winning the title, but it sure seems New York and Towns aren’t sharing the same vision.
“After winning a championship, Karl-Anthony Towns wrongly believed his contract extension negotiations would go smoothly — especially since he’s willing to take a discount. Instead, he clearly feels disrespected,” Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported.
Said Towns ahead of the Knicks’ preseason opener: “Simply put, I want to do something to keep the team together and can work with the Knicks and also values me. And none of those things are close to happening.”
Meanwhile, because the Cavs have two star big men that the Knicks could be interested in, especially if they see no other option but to move Towns, the former No. 1 overall pick could find his way to Cleveland.
Knicks Could Trade Karl-Anthony Towns to East Rival for Young 6’11” All-NBA PF