The New York Knicks didn’t have to play hardball with Karl-Anthony Towns.
The Knicks just won an NBA title. KAT was a huge part of it. He’s one of their best players. He’s maybe the best shooting big man in the history of basketball.
But this offseason, the Knicks didn’t agree to a contract extension with Towns.
In fact, they put out a statement to the public saying that they were stopping negotiations as the season got underway.
It’s the kind of situation that will now officially lurk just beneath the surface. It may not rise up if the waters are calm. But if things get choppy, there could be trouble ahead.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns Contract Decision
This is what ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote about Towns on Friday:
“Karl-Anthony Towns said on the record that he wanted to extend his contract and was willing to accept less than a max deal. The New York Knicks drew a line in the sand, put out a statement ending negotiations and went into the season with Towns unsettled and unhappy. He holds a $61 million player option for 2027-28 but can decline it and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.”
In this era of rising salaries and big superstar team-ups, it’d be a surprise if Towns didn’t opt-out after this season, unless the Knicks give him an extension first.
Windhorst wrote about multiple contracts this offseason in which teams didn’t give in, also noting the Wizards with Anthony Davis and the Pistons with Jalen Duren. Teams didn’t just hand out max contracts willy-nilly.
Interestingly, Towns was open with going with less than the max, as Windhorst notes. The Knicks didn’t pay him even with that in the mind.
Towns is “unsettled and unhappy,” per Windhorst, and winning can only fix that so much.
A Dangerous Possibility
If things go south in New York, and this follow-up season to the championship is rougher than hoped, Towns could become a trade candidate.
It’s hard to trade a salary of his level in the NBA, but the Knicks would have to consider it if they have a rough first half to the season.
On the flip side, if they play well again, they start to run a higher risk of losing Towns for nothing if he opts out. The Knicks wouldn’t trade KAT if they’re near the top of the Eastern Conference, but after cutting off the negotiations, the Knicks might also not be the favorite to retain Towns after the season.
Only time will tell if the Knicks made the right call to not give KAT an expensive, long-term deal. But it has the chance to backfire, for sure.
Knicks Created Karl-Anthony Towns Problem