The New York Knicks have been one of the most active teams in the trade market in recent years. They have made blockbuster deals for Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, and OG Anunoby in recent years. The latter of those players was added just before the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Now, the 2026 trade deadline is just around the corner, and the Knicks are already being involved in some big trade rumors.
The team is viewed as the preferred destination for Giannis Antetokounmpo. It still isn't clear if the two-time MVP of the Milwaukee Bucks will or won't be moved, but if he is, he is likely destined for New York. Another rumor that just came to the surface is that there are multiple other teams interested in trading for Towns.
The former first overall pick had a career year in his first season in New York, but he has regressed this season, and the Knicks have been struggling as of recent. The team has lost nine of their last 12 games. While reports suggest that the team isn't actively shopping Towns, league sources think he could become a trade candidate sooner than later.
However, a trade involving Towns for any player on the trading block outside of one for Antetokounmpo shouldn't be considered. If Towns is traded, and Antetokounmpo wasn't the player who ended up suiting up in blue and orange going forward, then that deal should be considered a nightmare trade deadline scenario for the Knicks.
The Knicks shouldn't trade Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns and Antetokounmpo make nearly identical the same amount in average annual value. The Knicks don't have many draft assets to trade, but it would only take Towns and a player on a minimum contract in order to deal for Antetokounmpo. The Knicks should get back on track soon, so trading for Antetokounmpo isn't completely necessary. It would be understandable if they chose to do so, though. After all, Antetokounmpo is still one of the best players in the NBA.
Other than that, the Knicks shouldn't trade Towns away. The Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, and Memphis Grizzlies are the teams with reported interest in Towns, but none of them have a trade package worth considering for the Knicks. Towns is a career 22.9 points per game scorer. He is also arguably the best 3-point shooting center in NBA history.
The spacing and offensive prowess that Towns provides from the pivot spot is beneficial to a team like the Knicks that already has a ball-dominant guard in Jalen Brunson and tons of point-of-attack defenders on the roster. Towns looked like a dream pairing when they dealt for him just over a year ago, and that hasn't changed this year.
Even in what has been considered a down year for Towns, he is still averaging 21 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Those are All-Star numbers. The big man from Kentucky has surpassed the 40% mark from deep in six of his 11 seasons, and he could return to his dominant form before the end of the season, too. Towns is also a dominant post scorer, and he even has some playmaking knack. He brings too much to the table for the Knicks to give up on him less than two years into his New York tenure, especially when considering the team made the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
The Knicks could be tempted to make an “all-in” trade because the Eastern Conference is wide open. The best move in order to make the NBA Finals this year would be to just hold onto Towns, though.
