This offseason is the best time for the New York Knicks to go all-in on star hunting. Will that star be Minnesota Timberwolves‘ four-time NBA All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns?
“The Knicks have always had an eye on Towns, though this front office has never engaged in serious trade negotiations for him, according to league sources,” The Athletic’s Fred Katz wrote on July 14.
Towns will forever be linked to the Knicks as long as his former agent, Leon Rose, is the team president. A Creative Artists Agency client, Towns could become available depending on who wins in the ugly tug-of-war between incumbent owner Glen Taylor and the group led by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore.
What Fueled Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Rumor
On April 10, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rodriguez and Lore eyed payroll cuts which concerned Taylor.
“In documents shared with Taylor, the NBA and The Carlyle Group, a private equity firm, Lore and Rodriguez rendered a budget projection as potential majority owners that would’ve lowered the Timberwolves’ payroll to $171 million beginning next season — below the projected $172 million luxury tax threshold, sources told ESPN. The Timberwolves would’ve gone from approximately a $25 million-plus tax payment to a team receiving a tax distribution of approximately $6.5 million,” Wojnarowski wrote.
The report, however, did not explicitly say who is expendable in Minnesota’s roster. But “the easiest way for Minnesota to save money is to trade Towns, whose massive extension kicks in next season when his salary will jump from $36 million in 2023-24 to $49.4 million and will only keep rising,” according to Katz.
Rodriguez and Lore recently added billionaire businessman and former three-term New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg to their team for financial muscle.
If their group succeeds in taking over the Timberwolves, will Bloomberg once again assist the Knicks as he did in 2013?
Draft Day Trade Scenario
According to Katz, the best time for the Timberwolves to unload Towns’ salary is during the NBA Draft, with the first round set on June 26 and the second round the following night.
“If the Wolves were to trade Towns, doing so on draft night could make the most sense, considering that would be before his giant extension number kicks in,” Katz wrote.
If the Knicks trade for Towns, it would also signal the end of Mitchell Robinson‘s tenure in New York as Towns, Katz added, “could play the four alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, a free-agent-to-be the Knicks hope to re-sign.”
Towns is versatile enough to also play center.
“He may not fare as well next to Mitchell Robinson, who clogs the paint, taking up the space Towns would need to post up. Towns may roast defenses on the perimeter, but he’s one of the best back-to-the-basket bigs in existence. You don’t want to take away his versatility,” Katz wrote.
NBA GM Expects Knicks to Pursue Karl-Anthony Towns
One general manager from the Eastern Conference believes the Knick will pursue Towns if the Timberwolves make him available this offseason.
“That team (the Timberwolves) is in flux,” the league executive told Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney on June 8. “They want to keep building off what they did this year, but they just can’t afford it. So I would think it is 100% expected that if they move on from him when the dust settles, the Knicks are going to be there.”
If the Timberwolves’ goal is to reduce their tax hit while maintaining their competitiveness in the strong Western Conference, they could ask for Bojan Bogdanovic‘s expiring salary, plus Julius Randle and draft compensation.
Like Heavy.com’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy.com
The post Knicks ‘Have Always Had an Eye’ on 4-Time NBA All-Star: Report appeared first on Heavy.com.