The New York Knicks silenced the rumors regarding turmoil Wednesday night, as they cruised to their largest victory in franchise history, a 54-point blowout against the Brooklyn Nets.
Not only did New York finish with six players in double-figures, they also dominated Brooklyn on the defensive end, allowing the lowest points (66) scored in any game this season.
The Knicks held the Nets under 20 points in three of four quarters, including the fourth quarter where they allowed just 10 points.
Landry Shamet was one of the most efficient players of the night, finishing with 18 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from three-point range.
In 20 minutes of play, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, with rumors continuing to surface prior to the matchup.
Following reports of Towns garnering trade interest from other teams, Fred Katz of The Athletic asked around the league to gague Towns' trade value. The most common response he received compared his value to that of the recent Trae Young trade.
Although Towns is three years older than Young, it seems nearly preposterous that New York wouldn't be able to get more for a player who's made more All-Star appearances and more All-NBA honors.
Furthermore, as the Knicks are in win-now mode after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, is there really a trade that would see them improve their roster for a deep playoff run this year while also keeping frontcourt depth?
It seems quite unlikely. But, one player that could help the flow of New York's offense while also remaining a rebounding presence inside could be Domantas Sabonis, who previously played under coach Mike Brown as a member of the Sacramento Kings.
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