NBA Rumors: Knicks' Interest in Karl-Anthony Towns 'A Little Down' from Past Levels

As the New York Knicks ponder the kind of trade that can get them to the next level, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns may have fallen on their list of potential targets.

SNY's Ian Begley reported on the HoopsHype Podcast that "the temperature was a little down on the interest in Towns compared to where it was very early on in the Leon Rose tenure."

Towns hasn't even started his four-year, $224.2 million supermax extension, yet trade speculation might intensify a bit this offseason as fans wonder which marquee name around the league could be the next to change teams.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus reported on May 14 "several NBA sources over the past couple of years have expressed they believe the Knicks will ultimately end up with [Towns]." Beyond his value on the court, the 27-year-old is a client of CAA, where Rose worked before he joined New York's front office in March 2020.

For all of Towns' obvious gifts, though, the Knicks and other teams might question how much he actually raises a franchise's ceiling.

The Timberwolves haven't won much with him as the centerpiece, reaching the playoffs three times and failing to get out of the first round on each occasion.

Towns hasn't taken his game to another level in the postseason, either, which is what you expect from a player of his importance. Through 16 career playoff games, he's averaging 18.6 points and 11.4 rebounds.

Compare that to Anthony Edwards, who scored 28.1 points per contest in his first two playoff trips and had three games in which he dropped 30-plus points on the Denver Nuggets this year.

The dilemma for the Knicks or anybody else is that acquiring Towns is basically the all-in trade, much like how landing Rudy Gobert was that for Minnesota. Between the assets required to get him and a contract that will pay him $50-plus million annually starting in 2024, getting another outside star will be difficult once a Towns trade is completed.

You can see both sides of the argument.

Opportunities to land someone as good as the 6'11" big man don't come around often, so you might want to strike while the iron is hot. However, Towns may not be the guy to make the Knicks a title contender as currently constructed.

Regardless, his contract situation makes it difficult to envision a trade of any kind materializing before the 2023-24 season tips off.