The New York Knicks reportedly had a chance to jump into a recent Karl-Anthony Towns trade market and chose to forego the opportunity.
This has been a productive summer so far for the New York Knicks. The organization was able to convince Josh Hart to opt into the final year of his contract. They traded mildly disgruntled forward Obi Toppin, and they signed three-point ace Donte DiVincenzo. However, they have not really made a major splash this offseason.
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A part of the reason is the team doesn’t have the salary cap flexibility to make major additions in free agency. The only avenue they have to make a game-changer move is via a trade. And there have been several stars the team has been linked to since they were knocked out of the NBA playoffs by the Miami Heat.
One name that has been the source of consistent New York Knicks rumors is Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns. The three-time All-Star is entering the final year of his contract and major changes to the Minnesota roster would make some sense after a disappointing showing this season. Furthermore, Towns is a local talent and for many Knicks fans, he would be seen as an upgrade over frustrating All-Star forward Julius Randle.
New York Knicks record (’22-’23): 47-35
However, it seems that the organization had the chance to make a move for Towns but chose to pass on the opportunity. On a Thursday edition of “The Lowe Post” podcast, SNY NBA insider Ian Begley revealed that Karl-Anthony Towns was in trade conversations around the league before the NBA Draft. However, despite seemingly being on the block in June, the Knicks did not jump into the chase and have continued a “restrained” and careful approach to potential blockbuster trades.
That has been the modus operandi for the organization since Leon Rose took over as president. The team was the favorite in the Donovan Mitchell market last summer, but bid against themselves for weeks and eventually lost the race to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They also had a chance to make a trade for Paul George last month but balked at the idea of including RJ Barrett in the deal and giving George a contract extension.