NBA rumors: Knicks rivals believe Karl-Anthony Towns trade is ‘in play’

The New York Knicks have had an up and down season, and some are wondering if the team’s roster is going to get shaken up in the coming days. While many analysts and reporters believe that Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns is untouchable, a new report is throwing cold water on that notion.

“A belief persists among some rival teams that Towns is in play to some degree. Or that the Knicks, at the very least, have tried to get a sense of what his market would be,” Marc Stein wrote on his Substack account The Stein Line.

Stein believes that the Knicks could end up using Towns to bring in another big star to the Big Apple.

“Now would the Knicks, when it actually comes down to it, be willing to surrender Towns in any trade that doesn’t involving acquiring Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo?” he wrote.

New York is 27-18 on the year. The Knicks have lost six of their last 10 games.

Knicks are searching for answers this season

The Knicks made a coaching change ahead of the 2025-26 season. New York brought in Mike Brown to replace Tom Thibodeau, who was unable to get the club to the NBA Finals.

While the Knicks started the season out hot under Brown, the club has been reeling recently. Following a blowout loss at Madison Square Garden to the Dallas Mavericks, Knicks star Jalen Brunson called a team-only meeting.

Brunson was especially frustrated with the team’s lack of intensity on defense.

“As a team we know what we have to do. It’s either we do it, we care enough to do it, or we don’t,” Brunson said about the need for a team meeting, per ESPN.

New York does have some assets if it decides to trade, that don’t involve Towns.

“The Knicks are mostly out of their own picks, at least from a trade perspective. They have their own first-round picks in 2026, 2030 and 2032, but they can’t be traded because of the Stepien Rule. However, the Knicks can offer swap rights, which would figure to be pretty valuable in those deep future years because of how old this team is,” CBS Sports reported.

If the Knicks do trade Towns, it will happen soon. The NBA Trade Deadline is February 5.

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