Kings and Knicks Swap All-NBA Centers in NBA Trade Proposal

The Sacramento Kings acquire a five-time All-Star center in this trade proposal with the New York Knicks.

Jan 25, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) drives to the basket against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

With the New York Knicks falling to the Indiana Pacers, the NBA world now has another team to scour to look at potential trades, with almost all eyes immediately turning to Karl-Anthony Towns as he faces the backlash of Knicks fans.

When looking at the Sacramento Kings as a possible destination for Towns, it's fair to question if he's is a good fit with the roster as currently constructed. But at the end of the day, he's a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player, and the Kings need talent.

Now, just getting talent is what got the Kings in trouble in the first place, but that was with the ultimate goal of competing for a championship. I think it's safe to say the Kings are lightyears away from that achievement in terms of NBA time, but if they are looking to reshape their roster, bringing in KAT would certainly kickstart said change.

His defense is always going to be a question mark. It's what many are pointing to in his year in New York, but the Kings have so many needs on that end of the ball that it's hard for them to get worse than they already are, especially with the proposed swap.

Sacramento Kings Receive: Karl-Anthony Towns

New York Knicks Receive: Domantas Sabonis, Devin Carter, MIN 2031 1st RD Pick

Let's begin with why the Knicks may say yes to this deal, as they're coming off an extremely successful season by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals. With Towns receiving backlash for his defensive rotations, it's possible the Knicks may look to move on from what they saw as their biggest issue in KAT's defense.

And while Domantas Sabonis isn't known for his defense, he has shown improvement on that side of the ball. Sabonis' issue is more from his lack of size and athleticism than from being in the wrong spot. He's improved tremendously at defending with verticality and not fouling since he arrived in Sacramento.

Pairing him with wing defenders in OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges would do wonders for him, and opponents would get far fewer line drives that he would have to defend against. It's possible that Sabonis defending the rim with verticalities could be a better fit for the Knicks' defensive scheme.

Sabonis is also arguably the league's best rebounder, having led the league the last three years. That would fit perfectly in New York's scheme of going for control of the boards.

New York could also bring in Carter for young(ish) depth at a good price and add a future pick to their asset pool. Both Landry Shamet and Delon Wright are set to become free agents, leaving an opening for possible playing time for Carter in New York.

Lou Williams defends Karl-Anthony Towns:

"Get off KAT's back. We also gotta stop allowing X and Instagram to be our GMs. ... That was his first season as a New York Knick and they got to the ECF...if it wasn't for KAT, y'all would've been sent home 72 hours earlier anyways."… pic.twitter.com/7RyGXp7IFO

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) June 2, 2025

For the Kings, the duo of Zach LaVine and Towns could potentially be the worst defensive duo in the league, but they would get buckets. And in a year that should be dedicated to retooling the roster and organization, that's not the worst thing in the world.

Towns averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 52.6% from the field and 42.0% from beyond the arc. Once again, Towns is a certified bucket-getter, with surprisingly high efficiency.

Towns would also fit the possible scheme and style that Doug Christie wants to run. Christie said repeatedly during last season that he wanted the Kings to take more threes, and Towns certainly isn't shy in that regard.

He calls himself the greatest shooting big man ever, and while that may be a stretch, he may not be far off. He's shot 40.0% from three in his 10-year career, on 4.3 attempts per game. He's a true stretch five that Christie could use to run a high-octane offense. It's easy to imagine the duo of Towns and LaVine alone approaching 15+ three-point attempts.

It would be risky, with Towns being owed $53, $57, and $ 61 (PO) million the next three years, but that should also theoretically drive the asking price down. If Scott Perry wants to make a big splash this offseason, Towns may be the most talented player on the market that he could reasonably acquire.