The Knicks may have settled into a better rhythm on the floor, but the noise around Karl-Anthony Towns’ next contract hasn’t gone away. It’s just moved out of sight.
New York wants to keep him. Towns wants a deal that reflects his value.
The hang-up is the number, and in today’s NBA, that number comes with real consequences. One league executive, according to NBA insider Ian Begley, doesn’t believe Towns belongs anywhere near a full max.
“One person from a team, a decision-maker, said, ‘If that’s your third-best player, you can’t pay him a max.’ That’s not what Towns is even looking for - he explained that,” said NBA Insider Ian Begley. “But this exec was saying you have to give him 50-60% of a max, because if you do more than that in this second apron climate, you’re going to really handcuff yourself.
That’s the reality hanging over these talks. The Knicks have reportedly drawn the line at $200 million, or around $50 million a year.
Towns is seeking more than that, with the latest word putting his ask above $225 million, though that still sits well below the $276 million he could technically chase. Even so, there’s a school of thought that New York is already stretching too far, especially if Towns is viewed as the team’s third-best player behind Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby.
Towns, though, has every reason to push for more than a bargain-bin compromise. He’s a six-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA player and an NBA champion. The gap between his resume and the contract being floated for him is exactly why he’s not in a hurry to roll over.
“I was talking to another executive, and he said, ‘Look, their offer - around $200M for four years - that offer is what Jalen Duren is getting.’ He pointed out that you cannot ask him to take what Jalen Duren is making,” Begley added.
“It just doesn’t make sense. Two sides to the coin.”
For now, the future still points in more than one direction. Towns could hit free agency as soon as next summer, and at 30, he’s in the middle of his prime with plenty of teams likely ready to pay up if New York won’t. That leaves the Knicks with a simple but expensive question: how far are they willing to go?
The answer may come down to how Towns plays the rest of this season. He’s opened the year strong, averaging 21.8 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks while shooting 58.3% from the field through five games. But the Knicks have stumbled to a 2-3 start and sit eighth in the East, and if the season keeps wobbling, Towns will be part of the conversation whether he likes it or not.
Both sides would prefer to keep this partnership intact. That much is clear.
But the trust isn’t unconditional, and neither side is treating the extension talks like a formality. Towns has to prove he’s worth the financial strain, and the Knicks have to decide whether they’re willing to pay the price.
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