Karl-Anthony Towns is reportedly on the trade block as the Knicks’ mid-season bobble has developed into a full-blown crisis.
New York has lost nine of its last 11 games, including a current four-game slide that was extended in alarming fashion on Monday night in a 114-97 loss to the lowly and shorthanded Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks, who seemed to be en route to a first championship in 52 years after winning the NBA Cup last month, are now being serenaded in boos on their home floor, which is something Towns admittedly understood.
“You spend what $140 to represent your favorite player with a jersey and you come to an MLK Day game at The Garden and the tickets are twice to three times the price,” Towns said. “And to come here and spend your hard-earned money, money that you’ve saved up to bring your family to this game, and for us to come here and obviously to not only win — which is disappointing — but to not really have a chance? I’d be disappointed too, and fans, they spend their hard-earned money. They give us so much love and motivation to go out there, and they’re expecting results, and so do we. So fans are doing their part, and we’ve gotta do our part.”
Towns’ struggles have been a major part of this Knicks nosedive. A starter at last year’s All-Star Game and an All-NBA Third Team selection, the veteran big man is shooting just 43.7% from the field over his last nine games while averaging 17.7 points per game. If his offensive game is not clicking, he becomes even more of a liability given his well-documented defensive issues.
If this 11-game stretch has taught the Knicks anything, it’s that they have to make a big swing before the NBA’s trade deadline on Feb. 5 to get their championship aspirations back on track. Towns will surely be the centerpiece of a big deal should Leon Rose pull one off.
Newsday’s Steve Popper reports that the Knicks have been in talks with the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando, and Charlotte Hornets — this after Towns’ name was reportedly included in New York’s talks over the summer with the Milwaukee Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This came shortly after Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reported that the Knicks “are not looking to do a deal involving Karl-Anthony Towns” during an appearance on the NBA on NBC podcast.
Rose and the Knicks have about two weeks to figure it out, regardless. Is this roster good enough to win a championship? The last two weeks have made it abundantly clear that the answer is no.
