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What we’re hearing about Karl-Anthony Towns’ Knicks future, plus more NBA trade intel

This post was originally published on this site.

Welcome to this week’s edition of What We’re Hearing, NBA Trade Deadline edition. Each week leading up to the Feb. 5 deadline, I, along with our other league insiders and beat writers, will give you the latest trade intel and insight from around the NBA. Here’s last week’s edition. 

This week, we tackle Karl-Anthony Towns and the floundering Knicks, along with the Ja Morant situation in Memphis, and what Milwaukee can do around Giannis.

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The hottest question in the league this week

Would the struggling Knicks really trade Karl-Anthony Towns?

James Dolan doesn’t do interviews. Like, almost ever.

So when the Knicks owner spent a half hour discussing his team earlier this month, talking to WFAN Sports radio in what were his first public comments since January of 2023, it provided some level of clarity regarding internal expectations for all of those people who actually work for the mercurial man.

The main takeaway? The heat is on.

“Look, I mean we want to get to the finals, right?” Dolan said. “And we should win the finals, right? …Anything can happen in sports, but getting to the finals — we’ve absolutely gotta do. Winning the finals — we should win.”

Well, then…

But the floor has fallen out since that Jan. 5 interview aired, with New York losing nine of 12 games before blasting Brooklyn on Wednesday night. And despite Dolan’s claim that he’d “never seen a locker room more copacetic,” I spent some time around the team last week and can safely report the vibes are not, in fact, immaculate. More specifically, the continued struggles of big man Karl-Anthony Towns — and the brutally honest reactions from head coach Mike Brown to his poor play along the way — has led rival executives to wonder if he might be on the move.

Even if there’s no actual evidence to that effect.

According to league and team sources, the Knicks have not engaged in any discussions about a possible Towns trade this season and plan on persevering with him during this challenging time. That intel is consistent with what Dolan said in his interview, when he insisted that “This group can win a championship; I believe that.”

What’s more, let’s remember that team president Leon Rose was Towns’ former agent at Creative Artists Agency and, as such, has the sort of deep personal ties that played a pivotal part in bringing him from Minnesota to New York in the first place. Towns is owed $57 million next season and has a player option for the 2027-28 campaign worth $61 million.

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But the Giannis Antetokounmpo possibility that emerged in the offseason, in which it was revealed the Milwaukee Bucks big man has a genuine interest in calling the Garden his basketball home, couldn’t have done much for Towns’ confidence in the security of his Knicks seat, no matter how many times the franchise downplays the possibility of a move actually happening.

Given all of that, it seems the chosen way out is for the Knicks, and Brown most of all, to help Towns find his way. Towns simply must be better than this recent stretch from Dec. 31 to Jan. 19, when he averaged just 17.9 points (43.7 percent overall, 33.3 percent from 3), 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.3 turnovers while the Knicks went 2-8 in those games in which he played. He was on the wrong side of the plus-minus ledger in eight of those games, when his looks (13.5 shots per contest) dipped well below his volume from his banner season in 2024-25, when he averaged 24.4 points on 16.9 shots, while shooting 52.6 percent overall and 42 percent from three, to go with 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 turnovers.

The Knicks knew there would be an adjustment period going from the fired Tom Thibodeau to Brown, and that Towns was likely to suffer more growing pains than the rest because of his comfort level with the former coach and a different system with the new one. But if they’re going to climb their way back into legitimate title contender status, they desperately need Towns to get his groove back.

More Knicks coverage:

What about LaMelo Ball?

Speaking of high-profile players who haven’t vibed well with their head coach, LaMelo Ball continues to inspire league-wide chatter. But as is the case with Towns and the Knicks, the current indications are that the Hornets, and head coach Charles Lee, hold hope their future can still be bright with Ball, if only because it makes little sense to trade him now.

There has been noise on Ball’s future since mid-November, when Yahoo! Sports’ Kelly Iko reported that Ball was open to a trade, and that the Hornets were “disillusioned” with the franchise centerpiece who is owed a combined $130.7 million in the next three seasons. Ball has come off the bench in three of the last eight games, in part to allow him to close games while also managing his minutes due to ankle and wrist issues that have plagued him since last season. More holistically, the Hornets’ internal push to convince Ball to improve his shot selection and defensive dedication continues.

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The last week alone has shown how electrifying and maddening LaMelo can be. He had two strong games in Los Angeles, finishing with 25 points, five assists and nine rebounds in a loss to the Clippers and 30 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in a win over the Lakers. Since then, he’s averaged 10.8 points (29.1 percent shooting overall; 21.2 from three), 5.5 assists and four rebounds in four games.

There was a sign of nuanced progress between Lee and Ball on Wednesday night when the second-year coach complimented Ball’s defensive effort in a loss to Cleveland in which he missed 14 of 15 shots.

Still, with Ball’s minutes (32 per game last season to 27.3) and shot attempts (21.3 per to 16.7) dipping significantly along with his production, it’s clear his role is quite different these days.

There’s this reminder that’s relevant to the Hornets’ calculus on Ball, though: The Atlanta Hawks’ paltry return in the Trae Young trade with Washington (CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert) was as clear an indication as any that the market for flashy point guards who don’t defend is mild.

As for Hornets that might be on the move, veteran forward Miles Bridges is drawing significant interest, league sources told The Athletic. The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are all known to be among the interested parties, though it remains to be seen if any team can compel the Hornets to give Bridges up. Charlotte’s lack of interest in the Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma is known to be an obstacle to a potential deal between those two teams. Draft capital is also a pivotal part of the conversation.

“They want a first (round pick),” one league source said. “Maybe two.”

Bridges, whose contract runs through next season ($22.8 million), is averaging 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Charlotte this season. He showed off his explosiveness on Thursday night with this doozy of a dunk in a rout against Orlando.

What’s next for the Kings?

League and team sources say the Kings continue to draw serious interest in veteran guard Keon Ellis, with approximately 10 teams in pursuit of the 26-year-old. A deal is almost certain to go down before the Feb. 5 deadline, if not much sooner.

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The strangest part of it all? Despite Ellis’ three-and-D skillset being so coveted, Kings coach Doug Christie opted against playing Ellis in the past two games. The Kings are seeking a late first-round pick in the deal, those sources said.

Meanwhile, big man Domantas Sabonis is still worth monitoring in the weeks ahead. When Toronto rolled through town on Wednesday, it wasn’t all that hard to imagine him putting on a Raptors jersey sometime soon. While Washington, Phoenix and Chicago are known to have had some interest in Sabonis, league sources confirmed reports that Toronto is a legitimate possibility as we approach the deadline.

It’s worth noting that the Raptors’ RJ Barrett, who is owed $27.7 million this season and $29.6 million next season, was drafted No. 3 overall out of Duke by current Kings general manager Scott Perry in 2019, when Perry held the same position with the Knicks. The two old friends shared a warm hug and extended conversation before the game at Golden 1 Center.

As for DeMar DeRozan, while he has been cited as a possible replacement In the wake of the Warriors losing Jimmy Butler for the season with a torn ACL on Monday night, a Kings source indicated the Warriors have shown no interest in the 36-year-old guard. As has been widely reported, Golden State’s strong interest in New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III most certainly remains. It’s just a matter of whether New Orleans will change its current stance and do a deal on that front. (The same applies to the Pelicans’ Herb Jones.)

More from my colleagues this week

Don’t expect Grizzlies to give Ja Morant away

By Sam Vecenie

The Grizzlies are taking offers on Ja Morant, and his value is all over the place. Some executives would say he has negative trade value because of his history of injuries and inability to stay on the court. Others look at him as a terrific buy-low candidate where they’d be willing to give up something to get a player who, when he’s at his best, still looks like a serious difference-maker.

Morant has struggled to shoot this season but we’re only about nine months removed from one of the best stretches of his career. From the start of February to the end of the 2024-25 season, he averaged 26.8 points and seven assists and shot 46 percent from the field while getting to the free-throw line seven times per game. The jump shot has fallen off a cliff, as he’s been the least effective player in the league on those attempts, but the athleticism does not seem to have fallen off at all. The league got a bit of a taste of what he’s still capable of in Europe, when he played his first game in two weeks for the Grizzlies against the Magic and had 24 points, 13 assists and five rebounds while taking over the game.

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Morant’s contract is seen as fine if he’s healthy but bad if he’s not. He’s slated to make $39.4 million this season, then has $87 million left on his deal over the next two years before being an unrestricted free agent. The Grizzlies won’t just give him away and have a history of doing well in trades under Zach Kleiman. I’d expect him to do something similar to what he did in the Desmond Bane trade last summer, where the Grizzlies took on a terrible contract in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to get more asset capital back from Orlando. The Grizzlies can take on bad money and would likely receive something for doing that in a Morant deal even if the point guard’s value is seen as a roller-coaster.

Can Bucks improve roster around Giannis? It won’t be easy

By Eric Nehm

On Dec. 15, the unofficial start of NBA trade season, The Athletic reported that the Milwaukee Bucks were looking to add talent before the trade deadline. Such a move has not yet materialized, despite Bucks general manager Jon Horst being aggressive in his pursuit of talent.

The Bucks do not have a whole lot of assets to add significant talent to their roster. Milwaukee can only trade one first-round pick (2031 or 2032) at the deadline, and Milwaukee has been hesitant to move that pick for the past year.

The Bucks don’t have many large contracts that can be moved to acquire highly paid, high-level talent around the league. Outside of Myles Turner ($25.3 million), Kyle Kuzma ($22.4 million) and Bobby Portis ($13.4 million), the Bucks only have players making the minimum or a near-minimum figure. Kevin Porter ($5.1 million) and Ryan Rollins ($4 million) are the two notable exceptions.

Possible deals allowed by the current CBA:

  • Kuzma, Portis, Amir Coffey and Cole Anthony to Kings for Zach LaVine and Drew Eubanks
  • Kuzma and a 2026 first-round pick swap to Raptors for RJ Barrett
  • Gary Harris and Taurean Prince to Hornets for Grant Williams
  • Coffey and Jericho Sims to the Mavericks for Caleb Martin
  • Harris to the Raptors for Ochai Agbaji

Will Celtics’ unexpected success change their plans?

By John Hollinger

The Celtics originally looked like they might be a seller, moving off Anfernee Simons or Sam Hauser to get all the way under the luxury tax and avoid some of the worst depredations of the repeater tax a year from now.

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Now it seems that staying below the second apron might be enough, and otherwise, they can go for it. Boston still has draft capital and a huge expiring contract in Simons’ $27.6 million deal and is $7.6 million below the second apron. The cap sheet going forward is now relatively clear as well, with the Celtics $29 million from next year’s projected first apron (an extension for Simons would cut into that).

But Boston’s case is different from most of the league’s other contenders (and even quasi-contenders), who, to at least some extent, are all-in on maximizing their teams right now. The Celtics didn’t really expect to be in this same spot until a year from now, but here they are.

Is it worth going all-in for this year when next year’s team — adding Jayson Tatum and perhaps others, and with no significant free agents likely to leave aside from Simons — is likely to be even better? Is there a move that can accomplish both and still keep a top-heavy salary structure (Jaylen Brown and Tatum will combine to make $131 million in 2027-28) from pushing past the second apron and triggering draft pick penalties?

I don’t have a crystal ball that says what the Celtics will do, and they haven’t come up much when people in the league discuss trade suitors. Maybe they feel better playing it out and seeing what they have with their current group. But fortune favors the bold, and the Celtics have shown the willingness to pounce when an unexpected opportunity comes their way.

More reading material

• While the Timberwolves are not expected to absorb a big salary, they could use more bench scoring, Jon Krawczynski writes.

• Giannis? Zach LaVine? Trey Murphy? Eric Koreen dreams big for the Toronto Raptors, and explains how one of the East’s most surprising teams could (but most likely won’t) shake things up.

• The Washington Wizards have already made one significant trade this season when they added Trae Young. Are more moves in the works? Josh Robbins has the latest.

• The Phoenix Suns swapping Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and the No. 10 pick was the trade of the summer. The teams are almost tied in the Western Conference standings near the midpoint of the season, so Doug Haller and Will Guillory riffed on who won the trade.