Karl-Anthony Towns is willing to leave money on the table to remain with the New York Knicks. The disagreement is over how much.
ESPN’s Malika Andrews added that detail Tuesday in extension negotiations as the defending champions head into training camp. Towns, she reported, is open to a discount but believes the Knicks are asking for too much.
His willingness to compromise has yet to bring the sides close enough to an agreement.
Malika Andrews Explains Towns’ Position on Extension Talks
Speaking on ESPN’s “NBA Today”, Andrews compared Towns’ position with Jalen Brunson’s earlier financial concession.
“Karl-Anthony Towns, from what I have been told, is willing, similarly to what Jalen Brunson did — numbers aren’t the same — but he is also willing to take a pay cut,” Andrews said. “But the pay cut that the Knicks are asking him to take, he views as unreasonable.”
Andrews was reporting Towns’ assessment of the requested discount, rather than describing it as unreasonable herself.
Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension in July 2024 instead of waiting until 2025, when he could have become eligible for a five-year, $269.1 million contract. He accepted roughly $113 million less in potential guaranteed money, although the larger deal covered an additional season.
Brunson took the maximum extension available at the time. His concession was signing early rather than pursuing a bigger payday later.
Towns is already eligible for a four-year extension worth approximately $276 million. According to Andrews, he would accept less. The unresolved question is how far below that figure he will go.
ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill said the sides remain tens of millions of dollars apart and emphasized that Towns is not seeking the full maximum.
“My arms can’t go wide enough to say how far these two sides are right now apart,” Goodwill said.
Knicks’ Spending Stance Complicates Keeping Championship Core
The gap gives context to Towns’ uneasy media day comments.
“I think in this situation there’s no comfortability to be had,” Towns said Monday, while reiterating that he wants to stay.
The negotiations also extend beyond their starting center. Josh Hart is extension-eligible, and Goodwill said Miles McBride wants a new deal.
Andrews pointed to owner James Dolan’s publicly stated opposition to crossing the second apron, calling it a self-imposed restriction.
Crossing that threshold limits roster-building tools, including combining salaries in trades and using the midlevel exception. It does not require a team to break up its existing core.
Brian Windhorst noted that New York’s five leading players are back this season. Keeping them together longer, he said, would require salary concessions.
He predicted an eventual compromise with Towns, though that was an assessment rather than news of an approaching agreement.
Towns has no opening-night extension deadline. His roughly $61 million player option gives him another decision next summer.
The Knicks can keep negotiating while defending their championship. Towns, meanwhile, has signaled that a discount is possible. Closing the gap now requires agreement on what that sacrifice should cost him.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ Knicks Contract Stance Gets Revealing Update