The Knicks have stepped back from contract-extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns, and ESPN’s Shams Charania says the split in approach has already become obvious.
New York is putting all extension discussions on pause for now, choosing to keep its attention on the season ahead rather than work through deals with eligible players. A Knicks spokesperson told ESPN, “As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season."
That decision leaves Towns without a new deal as the season nears, even though the sides had been talking about one for some time. The deadline for getting something done was Oct. 19, and the timing mattered.
As The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote, “Failing to extend KAT before the start of the season would wipe the most intuitive contract structure off the table. KAT receiving the money he wants…and the Knicks maintaining the payroll flexibility they insist upon becomes even tougher after Oct.
19,"
Charania said the situation has gone beyond simple delay. “This is the Knicks attempting to eliminate the distraction. Eliminate the growing cloud around the team… Both of these sides are fully divided,” Charania said.
Towns has made it clear he wants to remain in New York, but his comments about not getting a contract he views as valuable have created friction. The Knicks, meanwhile, have shown no rush to meet him where he wants to be. With both sides still far apart, this could turn into a season-long situation before talks are revisited later on.
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