After entering the season as one of the favorites to earn the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks have hit rock bottom, having lost four straight games.
Two of those loses came against non-playoff teams, including Monday's loss against the Dallas Mavericks. To make matters worse, the matchup wasn't particularly close. New York trailed by 30 points at one point, ultimately suffering a 17-point defeat at home. The loss marks New York's eighth defeat in the last 10 games.
In a game riddled with inefficiency, Mitchell Robinson was perhaps the only outlier, finishing with 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting, 14 rebounds and two blocks.
Following the game, rumors continued to surface, speculating roster changes. According to NBA insider Steve Popper, the Knicks have engaged in trade talks surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns.
Popper went on to say that this may have been commonplace when discussing a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade however, New York is said to have discussed possible deals with the Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets.
Although New York is struggling, trading Towns midseason while holding third place in the conference seems ill-advised.
Furthermore, it's hard to argue that Memphis, Orlando and Charlotte have anything to offer that would see New York improve their roster for a deep postseason run this year.
They may have draft capital available to sweeten a deal, but without a doubt, trading Towns away this season would see New York take a step back.
In the meantime, as the Feb. 5 trade deadline approaches, the Knicks will return to action Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets. If the Knicks continue to drop games against weak opponents, don't be surprised if rumors begin to stir surrounding the job security of head coach Mike Brown.
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