Karl-Anthony Towns is not the upgrade the Orlando Magic need

Sometimes, too much respect is given to a player who has a five-time All-Star on their résumé

Jan 19, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots past Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell (7) in the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Teams are always looking to make an upgrade somehow, and the Orlando Magic, who have underachieved this season, are probably no exception. Still, they can’t just take back any player, which makes the report from longtime New York Knicks beat writer Steve Popper that both teams have had discussions that included Karl-Anthony Towns fascinating.

He’s without a doubt one of the top shooting big men in NBA history. His prowess in that department would fill a coveted need, but it would be a huge mistake for the Magic to trade for him. It would be one thing if he was so gifted offensively that it covered his flaws, but his shooting touch does not mean he is a first-class scorer, and he is prone to the bad off night- three straight games of scoring under 20 and below 50 percent shooting from one of the top players, like he did last postseason, could be enough to doom a team against high-level competition.

Rebounding and defense are more important for winning titles than shooting, and he is not good at disrupting, which would make him an odd fit for coach Jamahl Mosley’s schemes. Keep in mind that the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals in large part because KAT could not guard at the level of the screen, making him an extra target. Had they had someone like Bam Adebayo covering Jalen Brunson in screen rolls, the Knicks probably would have gone to the Finals. 

Look back on how the Sacramento Kings trading for Domantas Sabonis barely got them any closer to the playoffs, making it once, much less significantly nearer to a championship. He’s at best the fourth or fifth best player on a good team, but their case is much worse because they traded a real star (Tyrese Haliburton) to get Sabonis, and now they are stuck with him. 

On top of that, who can forget the disastrous Knicks trade that brought in Carmelo Anthony? It did nothing for them and gave the Denver Nuggets the draft pick that turned into Jamal Murray in 2016, who became their second-best player on their 2023 title team.  

It’s not good enough for the Magic to crack the conference finals once or twice because there is so much invested in the group. It’s titles or bust, and a move that won’t make them take a serious step in that direction should get ignored.

If there’s a player the Magic want back from somewhere, they need to be certain he can be one of the closing five on the floor and guard in high-leverage situations. Management can find a solution to the clunky fit by looking elsewhere because not every five-time All-Star is a big-time player.