Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks Divorce Might Be Coming

During the final minutes last night of the New York Knicks 114-97 drubbing against Dallas, their ninth loss in eleven games, Karl-Anthony was booed as he subbed out. The boo birds weren't deafening, however, the trade chatter after the game was even louder.

"Whispers around league have begun to speculate on the possibility of Knicks moving Towns,” Steve Popper of Newsday wrote. “His name surfaced when the Bucks and Knicks discussed the chance of a deal involving Giannis Antetokoumpo, but now league sources said talks have involved other teams, including Memphis, Orlando and Charlotte."

Popper also clarified that one league source said the Knicks are not shopping Towns, but that others have heard that a trade could be in the works.

While talk about five-time All-Star being included in a Giannis Antetokounmpo package dates back to the summer, the Bucks remain adamant about holding onto the two-time MVP past the trade deadline and perhaps the Towns situation is becoming too untenable to wait until the off-season. There are trades with those clubs that could work, including a three-team deal that brings the Greek Freek to New York.

This is easily the worst stretch of basketball during the Jalen Brunson era. It’s also the worst stretch we’ve seen from Towns as a Knick and arguably during his entire ten-plus seasons in the league. You can blame new coach Mike Brown or his usage, but the 30-year old’s offensive woes boil down to struggling from long distance and on at the rim.

This has been Towns' worst shooting season as a pro, at just 46.7% from the field and 35.8% from three, which are his lowest marks since debuting in 2015-16. The proclaimed greatest shooting big man of all time is making a paltry 19% of trail threes, 70% which are considered open. He shot 40% from those last season. He was 1.30 PPP on layups (85th percentile) last year and that's down to 1.01 PPP (31st percentile) in 40 games this year.

It's Been A Struggle All Year For Towns

The inconsistency has been noteworthy. Towns has four games under ten points and 17 under 20. There's been nine games under ten rebounds and 19 with one or fewer 3’s made. He’s providing little deterrence on defense and complains to the officials far too frequently.

Towns Has Been Inconsistent All Year — Dec 29, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New York Knicks center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) looks on from the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Even more maddening than the defense is the offensive fouls. The New Jersey native leads the league with 39 and this isn’t new, as he led the league last year and was fourth the year prior. Towns has a propensity for hooking his defender and showing no semblance of control on his forays to the basket from outside the 3-point line.

It’s becoming clearer and clearer that this roster, especially Towns, is not responding to Brown on and off the court. This is most notably highlighted by the big man’s difficulty adapting to the new system in place and Tom Thibodeau’s replacement often publicly throwing his player under the bus.

Mike Brown And Karl-Anthony Towns Are Not On The Same Page

The coach called him out for his lack of hustle and leadership in the Knicks 112-101 loss to the Kings last week. It also wasn’t a good look for Brown to be all smiles while hugging Draymond Green after a game that saw the league’s dirtiest player try taking his star player's legs out. It’s been quite the eventful few days for Towns.

Last week, Towns was benched for the final nine minutes of the teams 123-114 win in Portland. A few days later in Sacramento, Towns fell on a drive to the hoop and stood on the floor for an entire possession. The next night, Green tried injuring him. He air-balled a last minute wide open three over the weekend. Last night, he got called for a charge trying a fade away three from the corner and using his follow through to kick an opponent in the groin, which resulted in a flagrant 1.

It’s hard to think a guy who's been a perennial All-Star over his career just forget how to shoot and play basketball overnight. Towns has been the worst version of himself and if he doesn't turn things around quickly his days in New York might be numbered sooner than later.

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