There's One Way to Extend BOTH Towns & Brunson

All right, let's talk about another player that's in something of a state of limbo.

Karl-Anthony Towns, uh, championship member.

Of the New York Knicks entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, he has a player option after the season for about $61 million but he is extension eligible and has been extension eligible for the last few months, and it doesn't seem like these talks are going anywhere with Towns and the Knicks.

Towns is eligible for a 4-year, $275 million extension.

This money is just wild, uh, you know, in today's NBA, um.

You know, Towns is not going to get that, but it does seem like the Knicks want him to take, uh , something of a discount so they can continue to build the team around Towns, around Brunson , around Edenobi, around Bridges, and around the championship core, uh, that they have.

Um, what do you think is a fair market value for Towns?

And what do you think about what his thought process is?

Because this is probably going to be the last big deal that Karl-Anthony Towns signs.

Yeah, I think um.

275.

After winning a championship.

For like the first time in like 50+ years or whatever, 60 years, I feel like that should be rewarded.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

On top of the fact of being like, yeah, we're trying to build a team around, like what are you gonna go get?

Like there's nothing, like, do you understand what I'm saying?

Like, what more pieces can you add there if you're gonna take away Say he signs for 250 million, like, that's legit, but Well, what, what, what are you gonna add there?

You're already 567 deep.

Whose contracts are coming up that you need to relinquish?

Are you going to go, like, are you gonna go get a steal from somewhere?

Like your top 8 spots are sewn up, so I don't.

Well, the, the argument is like you've got Brunson's extension coming up next summer and Brunson has been clear to me and to others that, uh, there will not be a discount on this deal.

Like he wants to get paid on the back end, certainly deserves it.

Certainly will, if healthy, finish this year as one of the top players in the NBA.

He's already kind of proven that, um, so.

You've got to pay Brunson all that money, and you're paying OG Annanobi max money, and you're paying McHale Bridges big money.

Josh Hart, I think is extension eligible as well.

And you've got an owner in James Dolan who says we're not going into the second apron.

Something here has to give.

Now, look, I, I, I'm not defending James Dolan, but there are reasons not to go into the second apron that have nothing to do with ownership being cheap.

Um, you know, it, it does impact the things you're able to do, trades, signings, all the things like it, it's, it's a de facto hard cap.

That's why the NBA has it, has it in.

Um, so there's lots of reasons to try to keep the contract somewhat manageable.

I think if you're Towns, the one thing you have to factor in here is, yeah, like you can go out and get a bigger offer.

Like if Karl-Anthony Towns hits the free agent market.

Somebody's gonna give him $250 million based on the year he had last year.

If he has a similar type of year, somebody's gonna give him that.

We are past the point of questioning whether Carl Towns can be a high-level playoff performer.

He did it in Minnesota and he was instrumental in helping the Knicks get to a conference finals and helping the Knicks win a championship.

He is a championship-level player.

So there are teams.

out there willing to do it.

But again, just like with Durran, if you look at the landscape , who is going to be the team that puts up that money?

Like does Towns want to go and play for the Sacramento Kings?

No.

Does Towns want to go play for rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks team?

No.

Does he want to go across the, you know, the river and play for the Brooklyn Nets?

Probably not.

Um, he's a New Jersey guy.

He's got a great thing going there.

His former agent Leon Rose runs the team.

I'm not trying to pocket watch here.

Like, you know, get as much money as you can, but also understand the circumstances that you're in, right?

And like I, I'll never forget what Jalen Brunson said to me when I was doing the, the magazine cover on him.

Um, he, he just was saying it's like, I was asking him about the contract he took.

And he's like, yeah, I want the most money.

And yeah, I understood I took, I could have stayed , uh, you know, waited and got more the following year.

But he's like, the extra money doesn't materially change how I live.

And all the money Carl Towns has made and all the money he probably still makes off the court.

Like does It's abstract, but does $10 extra million dollars per year materially change how Karl-Anthony Towns lives?

Am I wrong to kind of look at it that way, ET?

Oh, no, you're not wrong to look at it that way at all, like whatsoever.

I just think you gotta look at the whole picture and being like, hey, if I'm saying this and I'm a millionaire, hey, billionaire, shut the fuck up and give me an extra $10 million because it's not going to change the way you live.

I think I take a Warriors type approach where I'm like, hey, when, when this group is done.

I mean, they're probably in a better situation, the Warriors, cause the Knicks are the Knicks, but when it's done.

You, you, you, you burn after reading.

Like, do you know what I mean?

Like, I feel like you go all in with this group regardless.

This is a golden group.

These guys met years ago.

It's, it's a Disney movie and everything.

You, you say, hey man, in 5 years, we're like, uh, You know, Olympia is gonna fall.

That's just how I feel.

Like, I don't know who's gonna be able to replicate this, uh, even at a championship level.

There's no more repeat teams really, especially like the last couple of years, even though the Knicks have been able, I, I thought they had two chances of possibly winning in the past couple of years, but I, I just don't think there's any repeat or, or anything.

I think this is a team you invest all in like the Warriors try to do in their, their, their certain situation, you just go about your business.

I don't know who comes after besides you already having the, you're making sure the best Knicks in, in the history gets taken care of.

But other than that, Everybody disappears and goes on, on, on their own path.

Well, look, look, again, if it was just about the money, I would say James Dolan pay it.

You print money over there at MSG.

Like you're, you're ultra rich, uh, but the second apron comes with some challenges.

And if it means like if taking that extra money means you gotta offload Michaela Bridges to stay under that second apron, you don't wanna do that.

Like you wanna keep this group together.

Yeah, absolutely.

So I, I mean that.

So whatever gets close to keeping that 5, like that 7 together, let's, let's call it that, like, and I'm absolutely cool with that, but I'm kind of like, hey, as long as that 7.

Get another 3 or 4 years maybe, and call it.

What, what else do you want?

Like in all actuality one of the biggest season.

The NBA damn near had to be like, yo, when are they going to win a championship?

You missed your turnaround twice.

Like, new teams are winning, y'all ain't won yet.

So to guarantee that it's just like, hey, bro, we remember back in the early 1000s, love you, Iman, but that Knicks tape bullshit, like every team in the east could beat them.

Like.

Like do you know what I mean?

Like, like , like, so when you sit there like, The, the, the time they couldn't beat MJ like this is the team.

Like I would literally be like, hey, this, even if we're dating, like, hey, I, I know when my last baddie coming, I'm gonna have to sell out and you know, you know what I mean?

and call it.

But that's, that's the facts, man.

I'm not, there ain't no dynasty coming past this group.

Nobody's dumb enough to be Jalen Brunson.

Take lesser.

Like this all started from one man understanding the bigger picture.

Not James Dolan being smart, not this guy being smart, and da da da da.

It's a whole bunch of back alley bullshit.

Leon Rose gets put here like worldwide West.

Shout out to how they got it done, but this, this is just a universe rubbing together at the same time.

You're not building no damn champion, bro.

It took 60 years to win and it took a little.

Lefty from the suburbs of Chicago with a crazy ass dad that was mentally training him from day one to do that, bro.

This is, am I wrong for saying that?

Like, no, no, I, I agree.

The keeping it all together and look at the Chicago Bulls, that's what I'm saying.

Like we ain't won a championship since Jordan.

It wasn't the franchise, it was the players.

Shout out, shout out to Reinsdorf and Krauss, but am I, am I wrong for saying any of that?

When you have, look, I think the bottom line is when you have something that works, do everything you possibly can to keep it together.

Spend whatever you have to do to keep it together.

We even just saw it.

Boston's a bit of a different story because of the injury that they had with Tatum, but like, you know, they were gonna be an expensive roster.

If Tatum doesn't get hurt, I wonder what decision they would have made with, you know, all those guys that were making a ton of money.

Would they have spent to keep it together and gone into that second apron?

When you have an opportunity to win multiple championships, you got to do.

Whatever it takes, I just wonder what, what is Carl Towns' threshold for proverbial financial pain, right?

Like what is, how, how far is he willing to accept?

Is he willing to be a $50 to $55 million per year player, or is he going to insist on being a $65 to $70 million per year player?

No, you're right, bro.

Fuck that.

Hey, just take that $55.

I didn't realize that, bro.

Yeah, just take that punky ass $55 million bro .

You Gucci.

And, and, and, yeah, you Gucci.

I didn't realize, I thought that man was like, man, god damn, that sounds crazy.

I'm so sorry.

Uh, um, my only thing that I'll say that he might complain about, and he didn't complain, he accepted everything.

He's just like, yo, I'm, I'm sacrificing as you ask.

Like what's next?

That's all I'm saying.

Like last year, even though he understood, he's like, hey, I, I stepped up.

Although I need to do a better job of offensive fouling, I stepped up, uh, uh, I averaged under 20.

We, we moved the offense around.

I became a better playmaker and I still rebounded at a high, high level.

What else?

Who knows?

What else do you want the big dog to sacrifice?

I don't know where Kat is mentally, but obviously he is set on repeating and everything, but who, who knows?

But this is like, I mean, this is what every team.

is going to have to deal with at some point, especially teams with stars that are on their 3rd contracts.

Like Oklahoma City can get away with it right now because Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are still on those fun maxes.

Meanwhile, Shay is, you know, making what, 300+ or close to it.

Um, when you've got multiple guys like Brunson, Towns, and Enobi that are on these, I think An Enobi is a 3rd contract.

When you're on these, these longer, uh, later contracts.

Sacrifice are gonna have to be made or changes are going to come.

That's the reality of the new CBA.

That, that's the way it's gonna go.