Karl-Anthony Towns addresses Knicks fans amid urges to trade him

Matthew Wadleigh

Karl-Anthony Towns addresses Knicks fans amid urges to trade him image

The New York Knicks fell short of the NBA Finals with an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers in six games. 

As such, questions are going to swirl around New York once again.

It will be interesting to see if the Knicks do anything drastic, especially after a strong season. But one player whose name has already been tossed around in trade conversations is Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Knicks acquired Towns prior to the 2024-25 season in a deal that sent Julius Randle and others to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But Towns' defensive liability has been a topic of conversation, and NBA podcast host Kevin O'Connor even said trading KAT should be the top priority. 

"Trading KAT should be priority #1 for the Knicks," O'Connor wrote. 

MORE: Why New York's playoff run ended in the Eastern Conference Finals

Well, Towns took to X on Monday with a message for the fans. 

"This city. These fans. Thank you. The best is yet to come"

The three-team deal for KAT involved the Charlotte Hornets, and the Knicks sent Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota as well as other assets.

During the regular season, Towns averaged 24.4 points with 12.8 rebounds in a strong showing, although there has been some concern about his play on the defensive side. 

Still, it would be somewhat surprising to see the Knicks move on from Towns so early, and it sure seems that Towns wants to play home games at Madison Square Garden at least a bit longer. 

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Matthew Wadleigh

Matthew Wadleigh is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He was born and raised in Southern California and grew up a San Diego sports fan (yes, it’s tough, except for Aztecs hoops). Matthew went to Fresno State as a journalism major and got to see Davante Adams, Derek Carr, Paul George and Aaron Judge in person. Matthew has written for publications including ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Fansided, Trojans Wire, UCLA Wire and Buffaloes Wire.