Karl-Anthony Towns is not supposed to be the guy the Knicks move after a championship. He just helped deliver New York its first NBA title in 53 years, and his production backed that up: 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the regular season, then 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists over 19 playoff games while shooting 55.1% from the field and 45.6% from three.
But the contract situation is where things get tricky. Towns is set to make $57.1 million in 2026-27 and has a $61.0 million player option for 2027-28, while also becoming eligible for a four-year extension worth as much as $272.0 million.
Knicks reporter James L. Edwards III said he would be surprised if the franchise offered the full maximum, and that’s where the conversation turns uncomfortable after a title run.
If extension talks ever fell apart, that still would not mean Towns automatically asks out. It would, however, force the Knicks to weigh whether committing more than $60.0 million to a center deep into his 30s is the right way to safeguard the window. In that scenario, these three trade ideas would let New York stay in the mix while sending Towns to a team ready for a bigger swing.
The Orlando Magic fit the “make the offense explode” category. They went 45-37 and finished eighth in the East, but their 114.9 offensive rating sat in the lower half of the league and they hit just 34.3% from deep. Towns would solve both issues at once, giving Orlando a center who can stretch the floor without hijacking touches from the rest of the creators.
Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists, and Franz Wagner added 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 34 games. Towns would open the lane for both forwards and make the pick-and-pop game with Banchero or Desmond Bane far harder to defend.
New York would get a useful haul back: Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr., Anthony Black and a 2031 first-round pick. Suggs would bring elite defense next to Jalen Brunson, Carter contributed 11.8 points and 7.4 rebounds last season, and Black posted 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists at 22 years old. The salary math is close too, with Suggs at $32.4 million in 2026-27, Carter at $18.1 million and Black at $10.1 million, putting the package just above Towns’ number with only a minor apron-related adjustment needed.
Detroit offers a different kind of fit: a second star for Cade Cunningham. The Pistons finished 60-22, first in the East, with a 109.7 defensive rating that ranked second and a 117.9 offensive rating that ranked 10th. Even so, their season ended in a seven-game loss to the Cavaliers, and the offense leaned too heavily on Cunningham once the playoffs tightened up.
Cunningham averaged 23.9 points and 9.9 assists, but Detroit never added the proven secondary creator it needed. Towns would fill that gap immediately, giving Cade a pick-and-pop partner, another post threat and a scorer who doesn’t need the ball constantly to matter.
The Knicks would ask for Jalen Duren, Ron Holland II, John Collins and two first-round picks, in 2029 and 2031. Duren is the centerpiece after putting up 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on elite efficiency.
Holland gives New York a 21-year-old wing with defensive upside, and Collins adds athletic finishing and shooting on a three-year, $51.0 million deal. Ausar Thompson stays out of it, which matters because Detroit would need his perimeter defense even more after adding Towns.
The timing is the catch. Duren is a restricted free agent, and the deal gets easier only after he signs and becomes trade-eligible.
Once that happens, his new salary could work more cleanly alongside Collins’ $17.0 million and Holland’s $9.1 million. It wouldn’t be a July move, but it might be the package with the best blend of young talent and draft capital.
Toronto rounds out the list as the cleanest three-player structure. The Raptors went 46-36 and finished fifth in the East, a sign they are much closer than their rebuilding years suggested. Their front office has already chased a massive move before, with the planned Kawhi Leonard trade still paused while the NBA finishes its investigation involving the Clippers.
Towns would give Scottie Barnes a frontcourt partner who can stretch the floor and handle major scoring possessions. Immanuel Quickley scored 16.4 points per game and added 4.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists, and his speed paired with Towns’ screening and shooting could create one of the East’s better offensive combinations.
The Knicks would get RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter and a 2031 first-round pick. Barrett returned 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 49.1% from the field, Poeltl added 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds on 70.0% shooting, and Walter would give New York another young wing on a rookie-scale deal. Barrett and Poeltl could both step into the starting lineup right away, with Poeltl offering a more traditional defensive center and Barrett bringing downhill creation that already fits with Brunson, Josh Hart and the rest of the group.
Barrett is set for $29.6 million and Poeltl for $19.5 million in 2026-27, so Walter helps bring the outgoing salary close to Towns’ $57.1 million. The first-round pick would be the price of sending out the best player, but this version avoids the headache of forcing five separate contracts into the deal.
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