Knicks Nearing Blockbuster Trade for 4-Time All-Star Big Man: Report

The New York Knicks built a cohesive and talented roster over the last few offseasons and are about to land a player who could be the final piece of the puzzle.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Friday, September 27, that the Knicks were closing in on a deal for center Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves . Towns is a nine-year veteran of the NBA and has earned All-Star nods in four of those seasons, including in 2023-24.

"BREAKING: The Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing a trade to send All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski," Charania wrote in an X post .

Who the Knicks might be sending Minnesota's way was not in the initial report. However, given Towns' salary and league rules that say salaries must come close to matching in every trade scenario, Julius Randle is perhaps the most likely candidate.

Randle, a three-time All-Star in his own right, will earn $29 million next season and has a player option for $31 million the following year, which is the last on his current $117 million contract .

Towns has a $49 million salary this season, as he enters the first year of a four-year extension worth $220.5 million .

New York will need to send the Timberwolves more than Randle to get a deal done, though Randle is the type of front court replacement for Towns in Minnesota with a high enough salary to be the centerpiece of a deal.

It is unlikely that the Knicks are planning to part with point guard Jalen Brunson , who just inked a huge contract extension of his own (four years, $156.5 million ), or Mikal Bridges , who the team recently traded five first-round picks to the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets to acquire.

Another player who could be part of the equation on the Knicks' side is OG Anunoby . Anunoby just extended with the Knicks for five years, $212.5 million and is presumably the two-way wing piece New York intends to start opposite Bridges.

If Towns lands with the Knicks, he will bring career averages of 22.9 points and 10.8 rebounds with him to Madison Square Garden.