The New York Knicks 2024-25 campaign came to an end on Saturday night, as they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers after suffering a 125-108 loss in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Finals series. While there were several reasons for the Knicks defeat, all eyes turned to star center Karl-Anthony Towns, with popular NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor dropping a shocking trade take ahead of the offseason.
Ahead of the season, New York pulled off a shocking trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that landed them Towns, and while he enjoyed a strong season, he was picked on constantly during the playoffs. That was never more apparent than during their series against Indiana, as Towns had a massive target on his back every time he was on defense. And while the Knicks just traded for Towns less than a year ago, O'Connor thinks they need to move on from him this offseason.
“Trading KAT should be priority #1 for the Knicks,” O'Connor said in a post on X in the immediate aftermath of New York's Game 6 loss.
Should Knicks trade Karl-Anthony Towns this offseason?
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On paper, Towns enjoyed one of the best years of his career with the Knicks, as he averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 52.6% from the field during the regular season. New York also gave up a ton to acquire Towns, with Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, Charlie Brown, DaQuan Jeffries, Duane Washington Jr., and a pair of second-round draft picks being moved in order to bring him to town.
A trip to the Eastern Conference Finals may not seem like a reason to blow up this team, but it's clear that it's going to be tough to win a title with Towns playing subpar defense in the paint. The Knicks have already hinted at big moves taking place this offseason in the wake of this loss, so who knows, maybe Towns may have already played his final game for New York, despite only getting acquired in October of last year.