The Knicks are coming to a realization about Karl-Anthony Towns that the Atlanta Hawks already learned with Trae Young. Fred Katz of The Athletic said on his podcast, Katz and Shoot, that he's asked people around the league what they believe KAT's value is, and the majority of responses pointed to the Young trade.
New York fans are wondering right now whether the team can get for Towns a package similar to CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Steve Popper of Newsday reported that the team is gauging trade interest in KAT (subscription required) in talks with a few teams.
What the Knicks have learned so far from their interactions with teams could be enough to keep KAT past the Feb. 5 deadline, as they are by no means in a position where they absolutely need to trade him. They have a 2-9 record in their last 11 games, though, so New York's situation is one worth monitoring, even for Atlanta fans.
Karl-Anthony Towns' trade value compared to what Hawks got for Young
Atlanta was in a far different position with Young than what New York is in with Towns, but both are on inflated contracts. Unlike Young, who has a $49 million player option for the 2026-27 season, KAT is under contract through the 2027-29 season, with a $61 million player option. He's making $53.1 million this season and will make $57 million the next.
We learned just how bad the market is for undersized point guards who struggle to defend when Atlanta traded Young. There is also Ja Morant, for whom the Grizzlies reportedly decided to listen to offers after the Hawks traded Trae, but there is no real interest in the Memphis guard.
It turns out teams aren't lining up to make top-notch offers for KAT (are we surprised?), who is one of the best big men shooters in league history, but, like Young and Morant, he isn't a good defender. He's also shooting a career-low 46.7% from the field and 35.8% from three, which would be another low if it weren't for his 34.1% shooting from deep when he was a rookie.
New York might be wishing it still had Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo around, as well as the first-round pick it sent to Minnesota for Towns. The Knicks didn't trade for KAT solely to help them make it to the conference finals for the first time in 25 years; they traded for him to win a title. They haven't looked anything like contenders this month. What a shame.
Time (as in two weeks) will tell if Towns will be the next big player moved before the deadline. If so, it will be interesting to compare New York's return for him to what Atlanta got for Young.