After a prolonged rough patch for New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, the rumor mill began to swirl about his future with the team. Towns suddenly found his name thrown in trade rumors as the Knicks had dropped nine of 11 games, as the team started to enter panic mode.
Knicks not entertaining Karl-Anthony Towns trade
However, it appears that a trade involving the former All-NBA big man is not likely. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Knicks are currently not having any conversations with other teams regarding a trade.
“According to league and team sources, the Knicks have not engaged in any discussions about a possible Towns trade this season and plan on persevering with him during this challenging time,” Amick wrote.
Towns has had a disappointing season in his first year with Mike Brown as his coach. His shooting splits are way down from his career average, and he has been a massive liability on the defensive end.
As a result, his value on the market has plummeted. Once viewed as a highly important asset, he is now viewed as a negative on the market given his high salary mixed with his poor play.
The Knicks have issues they want to address
The problems that the Knicks have aren’t solely on Towns, but he is certainly their most concerning problem. The hope was that Towns would be the second star for Jalen Brunson to help lead the Knicks towards their ultimate goal of pursuing a championship, but it is now unclear if they are a strong fit.
New York will likely avoid causing a major shakeup to their lineup and instead focus on adding depth to their bench. They have reported interest in players like Jose Alvarado and Yves Missi, two players who won’t cost too much to acquire and can be crucial to any success the team wants to have.
As far as Towns is concerned, they will likely bank on him turning things around late in the season to contribute to a playoff push.