After recently finalizing a deal to acquire OG Anunoby from the Raptors, the Knicks are said to be actively still on the trade market, as they have assets to spend, including eight available first-round picks.
That is to say, rumors are swirling around the league that one of their main trade targets is Timberwolves’ big man Karl-Anthony Towns, but a concrete offer hasn’t materialized as of yet.
During an appearance on FanDuel TV, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Knicks are “always going to have interest in” acquiring the 7-foot big man if made available by the Timberwolves.
Important to realize, that a mid-season splash move for Towns may be a hard bargain to make, considering that the Timberwolves are currently the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a 24-8 record. With this in mind, the 28-year-old Towns is finally a part of a contending Timberwolves team for the first time in his nine-year career, so any deal for the Timberwolves’ 2015 first-overall pick, more likely than not, will require multiple players and have draft picks involved.
The Knicks recently acquired Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn while sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors. Certainly, Anunoby, who led the NBA in steals last season, will fit right into Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s defensive-minded scheme and be a big upgrade for a New York team, who have been lacking defensively. Nevertheless, this also means Knicks’ co-stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle will now be left to carry most of the load offensively. Thereupon, this deal may have opened up the opportunity to bring in another offensive star, leading Knicks president Leon Rose to seek another in-season blockbuster trade.
