Karl-Anthony Towns is suddenly looking more and more like a name the Warriors need to keep circled.
The reason is simple: his situation in New York sounds unsettled, and if it stays that way, Golden State could have a real opening next summer. Towns can decline his $61 million player option for 2027-28 and become an unrestricted free agent, though the Knicks could try to head that off by working out an extension before then. Based on what he said Monday, that path does not look close.
"It don't look good."
Towns made it clear he wants to remain in New York, but he also said the sides have not come together on the kind of deal he wants.
“Simply put, I want to do something that can keep the team together and work with the Knicks and also values me. None of those things have come close to happening."
That leaves the door open for pressure to build around the Knicks, especially with James Dolan’s reluctance to enter the second tax apron. New York does not have to reach an extension before the season begins, but if the two sides are still far apart next summer, Towns could choose to walk.
For the Warriors, that is where the appeal starts to sharpen. Towns has been on Golden State’s radar for years, and the biggest basketball question around him - whether he could actually help a team win at the highest level - has been answered after he helped the Knicks win it all this past season.
He is likely to stay in New York for the full season even if no extension gets done before opening night, though that is not a lock. A trade request is still possible, but the more likely scenario is that he plays out the year, tries to help the Knicks repeat, and raises his price even further. According to New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, Towns believes he is worth more than the $200 million he has been offered.
If the apron issue keeps the Knicks from meeting his number, he could decline his player option and set himself up for a bigger deal elsewhere from a team with the cap room to pay him.
That is where Golden State comes in. Towns will turn 31 in November, so a four-year deal with the Warriors would keep him in the Bay through his age-35 season. That is not a small commitment, but it would give the Warriors a chance to get several productive years from him while keeping Steph Curry’s title window alive without stripping the future bare.
Towns also showed he can handle a huge assignment on the biggest stage, defending Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Finals, something nobody would have predicted a while back.
He would fit as the kind of center the Warriors have been searching for, the same role they believed Kristaps Porziņġis might fill before health concerns complicated that idea.
There is one complication for Golden State if Towns becomes available. Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are not the issue personally, but their contracts could be useful in a trade for another star before the February deadline. That same flexibility could matter if Towns and the Knicks drift apart during the season.
New York probably does not want this to go that far, especially with Towns so central to what it is trying to do. But if the Knicks’ hesitation about the second apron keeps them from locking him up, the Warriors ought to be one of the first teams waiting for the chance.
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