Getty Joel Embiid (left) of the Philadelphia 76ers scuffles with Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
New York Knicks‘ rumored trade target Karl-Anthony Towns is believed to be nearing his end in Minnesota, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
“Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks,” Pincus wrote.
Towns, 27, is long rumored to be coveted by Leon Rose, his former agent, who is now the Knicks president.
In April, Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney reinforced that belief with a report Towns and the Knicks’ interest would be mutual.
“The interest in making that happen would be mutual, for sure,” one league source told Deveney. “KAT and the Knicks are intertwined. To some people, it is more a matter of when they go after him, not if.”
Deveney’s report was followed by Towns’ sightings in New York — first with Knicks legend Latrell Sprewell partying at a club, then throwing out a ceremonial pitch at a Yankees game — which added more fuel to the rumors. The same thing happened with Donovan Mitchell, who was all over New York last summer before news broke out that the Utah Jazz and the Knicks were discussing a deal that never made it to the finish line.
Pincus identified the Timberwolves’ biggest need, which they could be looking for in any potential Towns trade on top of recouping draft assets that they gave up in the Rudy Gobert trade.
“The team’s most significant need is a point guard to replace Mike Conley, who was very good for the team after a deadline deal (also with the Jazz) but will be 36 before the start of next season,” Pincus wrote.
Will the Timberwolves ask for Immanuel Quickley, the Knicks’ Sixth Man of the Year finalist, who has desires to become a starting point guard?
Quickley is extension-eligible this summer, but it is unclear if the Knicks are willing to pay a premium for a backup point guard behind their rising star Jalen Brunson.
Several NBA insiders, most recently Marc Stein, said that the offseason would be trade-heavy as the immediate effect of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will make trading for stars and forming superteams more difficult for over-the-cap and luxury-tax teams.
The Timberwolves should be one of those teams that will be affected soon as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniel‘s extensions are coming up.
“You should see a flurry of trades between now and month’s end. [I] don’t think that I can promise another deal [aside from Friday’s transaction between Oklahoma City and Denver involving draft picks] during the [NBA] Finals, but the wait will be short,” Stein said on Friday’s chat with his paid Substack subscribers.
Stein also noted that he expects moves from the Knicks this offseason.
Could one of them be a blockbuster trade for Towns?
Immanuel Quickley Eyed as Chris Paul’s Replacement
Quickley is one of the potential replacements for Chris Paul in Phoenix, according to Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer.
“Phoenix does hold Knicks Sixth Man of the Year finalist Immanuel Quickley in high regard, sources told Yahoo Sports, dating back to Quickley’s entry in the 2020 NBA Draft,” Fischer wrote.
The Suns have until June 28 to decide whether to waive, stretch, guarantee or trade Paul and his $30.8 million salary for next season.
Knicks Invite Philippines’ Kai Sotto to Mini-Camp
The Knicks will take a second look at undrafted free agent Kai Sotto from the Philippines in a mini-camp scheduled next week.
Sotto will join other draft prospects and free agents in the three-day mini-camp starting on Monday, his agent, Tony Ronzone of the Wasserman Group, told Heavy Sports.
The Knicks were one of the dozen teams Sotto visited last year ahead of last year’s NBA Draft. After he went undrafted, the 7-foot-3 Filipino center split time with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia’s NBL and Hiroshima Dragonflies in Japan’s B.League.