The Knicks are still working through the details of their blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, which has yet to be finalized. Why did they choose to go all-in on the 28-year-old big man?
For starters, president of basketball operations Leon Rose was Towns’ representative when he was the head agent at CAA, notes Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Knicks executive William Wesley is also close with the Towns family, per Begley — clearly there’s an affinity between the two sides.
As Begley writes, the Knicks view Towns as an ideal complementary piece to their core roster, particularly on offense with Jalen Brunson. Towns’ presence should create more driving lines for Brunson and make it more difficult for opponents to trap him.
Begley confirms New York has coveted Towns for some time, but trade talks with Minnesota didn’t pick up steam until the Knicks signaled a willingness to include Donte DiVincenzo in the package. Begley isn’t sure why the Knicks changed their mind — they were opposed to dealing DiVincenzo for the majority of the offseason.
According to Begley, DiVincenzo wasn’t thrilled with the idea of playing a reduced role this season after he had a career year in 2023/24. Still, Begley doesn’t think that had much to do with New York’s decision — he speculates that Julius Randle‘s contract situation (he can be a free agent in 2025 if he declines his 2025/26 player option) and Mitchell Robinson‘s injury absence were likely bigger factors.
Here’s more on the two New York-based teams:
- While all eyes will be on Towns with training camp about to begin, Stefan Bondy of The New York Post believes Mikal Bridges is the “most intriguing” player the Knicks acquired this offseason. Bondy projects a starting lineup of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Towns, with Miles McBride likely the team’s sixth man. With major roster changes and some players coming off injuries, Bondy expects the Knicks to look sluggish in preseason.
- Ben Simmons‘ health is the biggest storyline to watch for the Nets as they enter training camp, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Simmons has appeared in just 57 of 246 regular season games over the past three seasons — including 15 in 2023/24 — and is coming off a second back surgery. However, he’s fully cleared for camp and has been one of the team’s standouts in pickup games, sources tell Lewis. Second-year big man Noah Clowney and offseason acquisition Ziaire Williams are two other players who have played well in informal games ahead of camp, Lewis adds.
- In a pair of stories for The New York Post, Lewis examines the other Nets storylines ahead of training camp and provides a rundown of their 20-man roster, which is one player shy of the offseason limit.
NBA title or bust
Bust
I would feel a whole lot better with a healthy Mitch at center and Towns at the four. Would also allow Hart to move to sixth man role and deepen the bench. No one wanted to trade McBride earlier in the offseason, now we’ll see if they were right.
Every year is the same story with Ben Simmons, I have to see it to believe it at this point
Not sure if the team will be better with KAT, but most of Rose’s moves have worked out so far. It’s nice to be able to trust a Knicks front office.
I’m skeptical that DiV expressed dissatisfaction with his prospective role, as it really runs counter to the persona he’s established here and at Villanova. Plus, if Randle was being moved for KAT, DiV would likely still be in the starting lineup.
This is the first deal the NYK have made in the Rose Era that has the fingerprints of WWW (resident AAU BB) all over it. The bullish case for the KAT-Randle swap is real. But the deal comes with a lot of other costs, including an almost complete lack of flexibility going forward. Meaning, it has to work. Never a good way to go into anything, particularly with unreliable parties, such as KAT.