If the fact that the New York Knicks are linked to almost every famous person mentioned in trade rumors isn’t enough to convince you, the fact that many of them make sense only strengthens your conviction.
However, the most recent information on what may be in store for the Knicks would be a welcome addition. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the organization is “monitoring” the trade scenario involving Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but Towns’ compatibility with the Knicks’ current youthful guard and forward core would almost surely put them in the running to surprise in the playoffs. As Bondy writes, a portion of that link could have to do with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who served as the head coach and president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves and Towns from 2016 to 2019.
Before the team’s preseason game on Saturday, Thibodeau had nothing but love for Towns, as Bondy reported.
“Watching the progress he’s made throughout his career, he’s as gifted as they come,” Thibodeau said.
“When you look at an offensive player, particularly a big, the skill set that he has, I think we all saw, to win the 3-point contest and stuff like that, there’s nothing he can’t do offensively. He has continued to get better I think. He had some injuries to deal with. I watched him play in FIBA [the World Cup, for the Dominican Republic], he played really well there. He’s really, really gifted.”
Towns has played with the Timberwolves for the whole of his eight-year NBA career, averaging 23 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks a game. In his professional career, he has a field goal percentage of 52.6 and a three-point percentage of 39.5.
Without a doubt, it’s unclear if the Timberwolves would ever contemplate moving to trade for Towns. But if they do, it seems like the Knicks could be leading that effort, based both on this story and the fact that he’d be about as perfect a fit for this team as one could want.
