Karl-Anthony Towns calls New York home. The Knicks have yet to agree with him on an extension. Into that uncertainty came a suggestion bound to make their fans uneasy: What if the Boston Celtics tried to acquire him?
James Edwards III of The Athletic floated Towns during a Celtics Daily podcast discussion with host Bobby Manning about players Boston might target in the future. Edwards’ premise depended on Towns’ situation with the New York Knicks changing.
“What if Karl-Anthony Towns, if this thing in New York doesn’t work out?” Edwards asked. “Is that a possibility?”
Manning supplied the immediate objection: “Is New York sending him to Boston?”
The exchange was hypothetical. Neither reporter said the Celtics have approached the Knicks or that New York is considering a Towns trade. But it showed how an unresolved extension can invite questions beyond the negotiating table, even for a player who helped his team win a championship.
Why Edwards Saw a Fit in Boston
Edwards compared the role Towns might fill to the versatility Al Horford once gave the Celtics. Towns would bring a different kind of offense: a high-scoring center whose 3-point shooting could pull defenders away from the basket and create more room for Jayson Tatum.
Tatum is the star Boston is building around after trading Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks. The Celtics also signed former Knicks center Mitchell Robinson this summer and extended Neemias Queta, so acquiring Towns would reshape a frontcourt they have already invested in.
Manning suggested the timing might become more favorable if Boston gets out of the repeater tax this season and looks to make a bigger move next year. Towns holds a player option worth approximately $61 million for 2027-28. His decision about a longer contract could eventually affect whether another team has a path to pursue him.
For the Knicks, those are future questions. Towns remains under contract, and New York is preparing to defend its first NBA title since 1973. The extension talks, however, have yet to produce an agreement.
As SNY’s Ian Begley previously reported, the Knicks have discussed an extension beginning around $45 million to $50 million annually, while Towns is eligible for a deal worth roughly $276 million over four years. He is open to less than the maximum, but the size of that discount remains unresolved.
Would the Knicks Trade Towns to a Rival?
That was Manning’s central question. He floated George and draft picks as a possible return from Boston, then acknowledged the difficulty: Such a package might not fit what the Knicks are trying to accomplish now.
New York has a championship team built around Jalen Brunson, Towns, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. Sending Towns to a conference rival for an older player and picks would require the Knicks to believe the deal improved their chances of winning again. Nothing in the podcast suggested they have reached that point.
Edwards also wondered whether Towns might decline his player option rather than risk waiting another year for a longer deal. Manning raised a sign-and-trade as a possibility, while noting that George’s own option would complicate it. Those decisions are still in the future.
Towns recently described New York as home, and Boston remains a speculative destination. The Knicks’ extension decision comes first. Until it is settled, outsiders will keep imagining what could happen if one of New York’s title-winning stars becomes available.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Floated as Trade Target for East Rival