Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Rumors: Knicks 'Have Not Expressed Any Interest' in Deal

The New York Knicks have been rumored as a potential landing spot for Karl-Anthony Towns, but the franchise has "not expressed any interest" in trading for the Minnesota Timberwolves center, according to The Athletic's Fred Katz.

"They are waiting. Patiently. For the right fit," Katz added.

Towns was first linked to the Knicks in April when Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports reported that the two sides had mutual interest.

"The interest in making that happen would be mutual, for sure," an NBA source told Deveney. "KAT and the Knicks are intertwined. To some people, it is more a matter of when they go after him, not if."

It should also be mentioned that Towns is a CAA client and the Knicks are led by a former CAA agent in president of basketball operations Leon Rose.

However, SNY's Ian Begley cast doubt on the Knicks pursuing Towns this summer while speaking on ESPN's Lowe Post podcast with Zach Lowe last week:

"What I had heard was that the salary, some people felt that the salary was just too onerous, at least at this point," Begley said (15:30 mark). "They've felt that the salary was going to really hurt them later in his deal.

"But listen, I think obviously this dynamic can change at the drop of a dime. I do think though that if they loved the idea of Towns right now, they could've had him. That's just my kind of read on the landscape in general."

Towns agreed to a five-year contract with the Timberwolves in 2018 and is entering the final year of that deal in 2023-24. The $224 million supermax extension he signed with Minnesota in July 2022 will begin in 2024-25.

With the Timberwolves looking to offload salary due to the NBA's updated luxury tax rules under the new collective bargaining agreement, Towns is considered the team's most movable asset as Rudy Gobert is on a large contract and Anthony Edwards is considered a franchise cornerstone.

Towns is averaging a double-double for his career and would be a solid addition to any contending franchise at the right price. He's coming off a 2022-23 season in which he averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 29 games while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and 36.6 percent from deep.

If the Knicks were to end up with Towns, he'd join a starting lineup headlined by Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson.