The New York Knicks are gearing up to defend their championship this season, but a surprising Karl-Anthony Towns update threatens their repeat hopes. Towns is eligible for a four-year $276 million extension, a pricey number even for the Knicks.
Despite Towns helping them win a championship, extension talks between him and New York "have stagnated," according to ESPN's Shams Charnia and perhaps for good reason. There is a scenario in which they could be paying star Jalen Brunson and Towns roughly a combined $130 million starting in the 2028-29 season.
The projected salary cap would be around $184 million. Due to the dreaded second apron, the Knicks know that paying them that amount would be virtually impossible without them gutting their roster.
If New York extends Towns for the max, then that may result in them having to move on from Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby.
The Knicks have a tough Karl-Anthony Towns decision to make
The Knicks could ride out this season and potentially look to trade Towns next summer. In that scenario, they'd move forward with a core of Brunson, Bridges, and Anunoby. Those are the Knicks' options.
New York simply can't afford to give Towns a max extension and is likely hoping that he would take far less than the max. Even then they may be hard-pressed to keep him. Remember, they also have to extend Josh Hart, who could make at least $20 million annually on a new deal.
Simply put, if they keep Towns, the Knicks would have to sacrifice depth and what makes them special. Yet Towns is a rare player type that is a great offensive fit for New York.
Unfortunately, they are being forced to make those tough decisions due to the second apron. The second apron essentially forces great teams to eventually have to move on from their best players in the name of parity, and that's what it's doing with the Knicks.
The Knicks can't afford to keep Karl-Anthony Towns
Given how long it took the Knicks to build a championship team—more than 50 years—they probably aren't thrilled about the idea of having to choose between Towns and depth.
However, the Knicks don't appear willing to budge on contract negotiations with Towns. They are likely hoping that he will follow Brunson's lead by taking a massive pay cut.
That may end up being the case, but they can't afford to pay everyone. They already let Mitchell Robinson leave in free agency, so the Knicks are clearly cap-conscious. As a result, New York is right to be hesitant about extending Towns given the negative roster-building ramifications it can have on their championship team.
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