It seems, in the case of Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks, that someone’s going to have to blink first.
What’s abundantly clear, however, is that there’s a lot of work to do for the franchise to keep its star locked up in the long term, and the prospect that he may be playing his final months as a Knick are suddenly a real possibility.
Towns, the 30-year-old All-Star center who helped propel the Knicks to their first championship in 53 years, is eligible for a four-year extension. He had hoped to ink it before the start of the season. Yet, Towns expressed unfiltered pessimism Monday, Oct. 5 to reporters in Philadelphia, indicating just how far apart the two sides are.
“It don’t look good,” Towns told reporters when asked if he thought both sides could agree to a deal before the regular season opener October 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Towns was even more candid later when asked if he thought he deserved a new deal.
“No (expletive), Sherlock,” he said. “I just won a championship. You’d think it would be pretty easy, unless you guys think I have something else to prove.”
Towns was instrumental in New York’s historic postseason run. Aside from NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Jalen Brunson, Towns was easily the second-most important player on the Knicks, and it all started after New York lost two consecutive games in the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, to fall into a 1-2 series hole.
Knicks coach Mike Brown then tweaked the offense to run through Towns, instead of Brunson; Towns took on increased ball-handling and play-making duties, allowing Brunson to play off-ball and tactically choose his spots. The move unlocked a new dimension for New York’s offense, whose +283 point differential smashed an all-time record.
But, to illustrate that point further, the Knicks were particularly dominant when Towns was on the floor. In his 578 postseason minutes, New York outscored opponents by 258 points, giving Towns the best individual plus-minus in a single postseason in the play-by-play era.
But, Knicks owner James Dolan has stressed multiple times that the Knicks will avoid triggering the punitive second apron, which limits financial flexibility. It also gives Knicks president Leon Rose a hard line on how much they can offer their stars. In a parallel situation, this also complicates the negotiations with forward Josh Hart.
According to ESPN, the most recent Knicks offer to Towns was worth $200 million, which is well short – more than $75 million short – of what he’s eligible to earn.
Now, none of this precludes the Knicks and Towns from eventually getting a deal done. In the NBA, like in all major sports leagues constrained by a salary cap, things get said in public that can sway perception. This is how high-profile negotiations sometimes work.
Towns and his representatives are trying to extract as much value as they can within New York’s financial landscape. Dolan and the Knicks are trying to get their stars to play on team-friendly deals. At some point, for this partnership to continue, compromise is mandatory.
“Simply put: I want to do something that can keep this team together and work with the Knicks and also values me,” he said. “None of those things have come close to happening.”
This isn’t exactly what a team looking to defend its title wants to be dealing with, but this is simply the system in place with the second apron to contend with.
The immediate concern for the Knicks, at least in the short term, is whether this will affect the team’s play.
Towns has plenty of experience handling adversity; while the Knicks were slogging through their schedule in the first half of last season, his name frequently popped up in trade rumors. Towns eventually responded with that postseason run – the best basketball of his career.
Whispers of trade talks are one thing, but if a player feels undervalued, it’s an entirely different issue to navigate. And the interesting thing is that those trade talks could get even louder.
Towns has a $61 million player option next season. While that is a lot of money, he may feel that he could earn even more on the open market. The Knicks, understandably, would not want to let a player like Towns, the premier stretch five in the NBA, hit the open market without getting anything in return. And a player like Towns – as we saw with the blockbuster that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat – would net a ton of assets.
So where does all of that leave us?
Right now, it’s a game of chicken. And while Knicks fans shouldn’t necessarily be concerned as of right now, these next few weeks and months will be pretty telling. Because the Feb. 11, 2027 trading deadline isn’t all that far away.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks face contract extension stalemate. Where do they go from here?
