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A 3-Team Trade Idea To Fix New York Knicks' Growing KAT Problem
Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks may have reached a breaking point.
Amid a downward spiral following their NBA Cup victory, the team has reportedly held talks with multiple teams about their big man, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. Though nothing is considered imminent, the list of squads New York has spoken with includes the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic.
Some fans are no doubt already offering to cover KAT's Lyft to the airport. Yet, the Knicks face all sorts of challenges in any deal for its three-time All-NBAer. Chief among them: They'd be flipping Towns at the nadir of his value.
"I've spoken to people around the league, and asked them, 'Where do you think his value's at?'" Fred Katz explained on a recent episode of the Katz and Shoot podcast. "And the most common response that I get is, 'Look at the Trae Young deal.' Trae Young had a player option for next season, and all he got back was CJ McCollum, and Corey Kispert, and that was it."
This is…not ideal. The same goes for the Knicks' proximity to the second apron (less than $150,000 below it), which prohibits them from taking back more money than they send out. Complicating matters even further, they have zero first-round picks to trade.
Can we build a deal they can sell to themselves and the fanbase anyway? Let's find out.
Full Trade Details
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New York Knicks Receive: Wendell Carter Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Jalen Suggs
Orlando Magic Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns, Day'Ron Sharpe
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Jonathan Isaac, Jett Howard, 2026 first-round pick (from Washington Wizards; top-eight protection; turns into 2026 and 2027 seconds if not conveyed; via New York), 2028 second-round pick (least favorable of Indiana and Phoenix; via New York), 2030 second-round pick (more favorable of Orlando and New Orleans; via Orlando), 2031 first-round swap (via Orlando)
Why The New York Knicks Do It
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In: Wendell Carter Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Jalen Suggs
Out: Karl-Anthony Towns, Washington's 2026 first-round pick (likely to be 2026 and 2027 seconds), 2028 second-round pick
Suggs is a defensive sicko (in a good way). The degree to which he can protect Jalen Brunson and lighten the responsibilities of Deuce McBride, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges is extreme enough for New York to overlook his career 32.9 percent clip from deep, as well as his injury history.
Whether it's also enough for the Knicks to take on his contract is a separate matter.
Suggs is owed four years and $115.5 million after this season. While his deal pays out on a declining scale, bottoming out at under 14 percent of the salary cap in 2029-30, it's a hefty sum for someone who's played in more than 55 games just once and has never averaged 30 minutes per game.
New York has similar considerations to weigh with Carter. He is an upgrade from Towns on defense, in nearly every imaginable way, but he doesn't deliver as much stretch or have the same kind of downhill attack mode. His durability is a question mark as well. Depending on the game, the three-year, $58.7 million extension he's about to begin next season vacillates between highway robbery and an overpay.
The Knicks probably green-light this anyway. Their second-round outlay is modest, and they deepen both their defensive optionality and overall rotation.
This return looks even better if Highsmith, a solid three-and-D wing, ever returns from right knee surgery. If he doesn't, New York is shaving $1.7 million off its payroll and might be able to work the buyout market should someone making less than the mid-level exception shake loose.
Why The Orlando Magic Do It
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In: Karl-Anthony Towns, Day'Ron Sharpe
Out: Wendell Carter Jr., Jett Howard, Jonathan Isaac, Jalen Suggs, 2030 second-round pick, 2031 first-round swap
Even without Suggs, the Magic would be among the teams best suited to insulate Towns on the defensive end. They boast excellent positional size with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Anthony Black, Tristan da Silva and Desmond Bane.
Black's ascent also has a chance to render Suggs somewhat expendable. Much like Suggs, his shooting is a concern, but he's drilling his threes this season at a higher clip than the former and handling the ball with a certain swagger that appears to be a new normal.
With just one year left on Black's rookie-scale deal after this one, the Magic could be speeding toward an either-or proposition no matter what.
If they think they can retain the 22-year-old on a team-friendlier extension this summer or simply have more faith in his durability and developmental arc, moving on from Suggs is hardly unreasonable.
Going from Carter to Towns on offense, meanwhile, is a demonstrative upgrade. KAT is struggling from beyond the arc relative to seasons past, but defenses are far more likely to treat him like a five-alarm fire. Between that and his (admittedly awkward-looking) drives, Orlando's still-rickety half-court offense should receive a significant boost.
Bankrolling the next two years and $118.1 million of Towns' deal probably isn't high on the Magic's wish list, but his price point is short-term pain. Plus, with a 2027-28 player option, he could come off the books even sooner. Or, if all works out, Orlando could look to re-sign him at a lower annual number that better suits the cost of the core.
Giving up one swap and one second is a modest price to pay relative to the outgoing money. Carter and Suggs are on eye-of-the-beholder contracts, and Isaac is a net negative even with only $8 million guaranteed next season.
This isn't just compensation for Towns, either. The Magic get a change-of-pace backup for Towns in Sharpe, who might empower them to flip Goga Bitadze to replace the outgoing second.
Equally important: The $7 million they're saving this season gets them beneath the luxury-tax line—a big deal with Paolo Banchero's max extension set to kick in next year.
Why The Brooklyn Nets Do It
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In: Jett Howard, Jonathan Isaac, Washington's 2026 first-round pick (likely 2026 and 2027 seconds), 2028 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick, 2031 first-round swap (via Orlando)
Out: Haywood Highsmith, Day'Ron Sharpe
Here's the nutshell version for the Nets: They are giving up Sharpe, taking on $8.7 million in salary this season and adding Isaac's partial guarantee of $8 million to next year's books in exchange for four second-round picks, one first-round swap and a stab-in-the-dark look at Howard.
This would not grade out as well for them if Highsmith was healthy. As things stand, Isaac's partial guarantee could make them queasy.
When you factor in Sharpe's 2026-27 team option, though, JI adds less than $2 million in guaranteed money to next season's book. The unique setup of his contract could even compel Brooklyn to keep him as a matching salary in a mid-year deal.
A couple of these draft obligations have upside, too. The first of the two Wizards seconds will be in the early 30s this June.
Getting the more favorable second from New Orleans or Orlando in 2030 could yield a similar return given the Pelicans' overall track record and the Magic's payroll structure in the years to come. And the 2031 swap with Orlando is far enough out for the Nets to envision exercising it.
Dan Favale is a National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.
