The New York Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns have tabled contract negotiations with opening night around the corner. This will be the final guaranteed year of KAT's contract, but has a $61 million player option for 2027-28; he would need to decline that option to sign an extension in-season. If he picks up the option next summer, however, he becomes eligible for a four-year, $180 million extension that starts in 2028-29, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.
Knicks fans probably did not anticipate so much friction between the organization and its star center, who was New York's best player during long stretches of their title run. But James Dolan is James Dolan, and the Knicks are flirting dangerously with the second apron. Towns has expressed a willingness to take a discout, but not so steep a discount as New York is requesting (roughly $76 million over a four-year span, per reports). Should the relationship break down, leading Towns to free agency, here's where the NBA champion and six-time All-Star could end up:
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets would allow Towns to avoid a cross-country move. He'd get to stay in New York and reap the benefits of the greatest city in the world, not to mention the goodwill he has built locally. We also know the Nets want to go star-hunting eventually. Sean Marks has steadily built up Brooklyn's talent reserves while painstakingly maintaining flexibility. Michael Porter Jr. and potentially Julius Randle are free agents next summer, while Brooklyn could have the most cap space of any team.
Granted, the Nets are not terribly close to active contention, but with the right upgrades, that can change quickly. Recent lottery picks Egor Dëmin and Mikel Brown Jr. have bright futures. Jordi Fernandez is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA and he consistently gets Brooklyn playing above its means. KAT's floor-spacing, connective passing and increasingly versatile defensive presence at the five spot could unlock a much higher ceiling for the Nets. If market and comfort are important to Towns, we cannot rule out the Nets. He is a New Jersey native, after all.
Atlanta Hawks
Sheild your eyes, Knicks fans... but the Atlanta Hawks can clear cap space next summer and it's hard to imagine a better basketball fit for Towns at this stage of his career. The Hawks would benefit immensely from a floor-spacing five next to Jalen Johnson, who's one of the best transition scorers and downhill creation engines in the NBA.
The Hawks can also surround Towns with a batallion of rangy, disruptive wings on the defensive end. It's hard to find a more fearsome collection of perimeter stoppers than Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luguentz Dort, if the latter sticks around. Kingston Flemings, Atlanta's No. 6 overall pick, is a twitchy guard who puts constant pressure on the rim and defends his tail off. The potential synergy with KAT is not difficult to imagine.
The Hawks can't rely on CJ McCollum forever. Johnson, for all his talent, probably isn't the 1A scorer Atlanta needs to contend at the highest level. KAT dramatically alters the chemical makeup of this roster and makes the Hawks, already a thorn in the Knicks' side, a real sleeper in the East.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz made a financial decision to not extend Walker Kessler and trade him to L.A. instead, which leaves the Jazz precariously thin at center. Jusuf Nurkić's injury means Utah will begin the season with Jaren Jackson Jr. at the five, a setup that traditionally yields diminishing returns defensively, despite Jackson's singular gift for shot-blocking.
If the Jazz can build a frontcourt trio of Towns, Jackson and Lauri Markkanen, you'd be hard-pressed to find teams designed to handle that blend of size, skill and versatility. Three 6-foot-10 (plus) bigs who can dribble, pass, shoot (and defend), with Towns adding the necessary rebounding and interior paint protection to maximize Jackson as a roaming disruptor. It's a tantalizing thought.
The Jazz are among the deepest and most skilled teams, across the board, in the NBA. Will Hardy's scheme promotes ball and player movement; the Jazz can benefit a ton from Towns' ability to facilitate from the elbow, distribute on the short roll and move around in the offense. The financials of such a deal (probably a sign-and-trade) could get complicated. The Jazz might need to sacrifice Markkanen at the end of the day, but Ace Bailey is ready and willing to step in. If Utah can flip Keyonte George to a third team, perhaps, that provides a path. Either way, the Jazz need to consider their options.
Boston Celtics
Another potential sign-and-trade destination, although not necessarily one Knicks fans want to imagine. The Boston Celtics already poached Mitchell Robinson in free agency. Neemias Queta is a tremendous starting center in his own right, but this why Boston made the Paul George trade. Next summer, he becomes a juicy expiring contract that can help to facilitate a bigger star addition.
KAT would thrive in Joe Mazzulla's mathball scheme, bombing 3s and adding essential new layers to the Celtics' offense. Boston needs more creation valves besides Jayson Tatum. Towns can draw attention in the middle of the floor, score at all three levels, and operate as a playmaking hub, around which Boston's batallions of shooters and play-finishers can orbit.
New York's resistence to trading Towns within the conference (not to mention the division) could render this hypothetical moot, but Paul George is still a solid complementary player and the Celtics have draft picks to throw around. If Boston can offer the Knicks immediate value and long-term flexibility, it's something New York would at least need to consider. As we learned with the Jaylen Brown trade, rivalry lines don't necessarily translate to the trade market.
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