The New York Knicks are going through a difficult stretch, considering they entered the NBA season as one of the main favorites to rise to the top of the Eastern Conference due to the overall landscape of the rest of the franchises. Even so, the Knicks remain second in the standings with a positive record, yet something still feels off around the team, which is why trade rumors have continued to surface, frequently involving Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns addressed those rumors before the Knicks’ 119-92 blowout win against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “I feel like I’ve been in trade rumors a lot, for a long time, for a year, d**n near. That don’t matter to me,” Towns said. The star big man, who was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Knicks before last season, made it clear that outside noise does not affect his mindset.
“I don’t look at social media or none of that stuff. I focus on the job at hand, which is trying to get wins every single night,” Towns added. “As long as I do that, I do my job, I go home happy and I feel accomplished. I’m not worried about what anybody got to say or what people write or anything like that.” His comments reflected a veteran approach centered on consistency rather than speculation.
For Karl-Anthony Towns, the priority has remained winning with the Knicks above all else. “We only worry about one thing. That’s winning. So I got no reason to go into depth on anything else,” Towns explained. He emphasized that every daily conversation inside the locker room revolves around how the Knicks can improve and how he can continue making sacrifices to help the team reach its best version.
How Karl-Anthony Towns arrived in New York
New York acquired Towns from the Timberwolves on October 2, 2024, as part of a three-team trade that also included the Charlotte Hornets. In that deal, the Knicks sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Keita Bates-Diop, and a 2025 first-round pick to Minnesota, while DaQuan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., Duane Washington Jr., and two second-round picks were routed to Charlotte. The Hornets also received a 2025 second-round pick from the Timberwolves and sent the draft rights to James Nnaji to the Knicks.
Towns delivered an excellent first NBA season in New York, averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 35.0 minutes per game. He shot 52.6 percent from the field and 42.0 percent from three-point range as the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals, establishing himself as a cornerstone piece in the franchise’s resurgence.
The 30-year-old has taken a step back this season. In 44 games, he is averaging 20.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 31.6 minutes per contest while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc, with his numbers declining across the board. Towns could simply be experiencing a down year, but if the trend continues, New York may eventually consider its long-term options before the situation worsens.