KAT & Mouse

Today we discuss the age-old question surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns and how the answer could directly impact New York's free agency plans.

Good morning! Couple notes to start the day…

James Nnaji, whose draft rights the Knicks acquired in the KAT trade, is reportedly coming to the United States with the intention of playing in Summer League and making an NBA roster this season. The 6'11" 20-year-old was the 31st pick in the 2023 Draft.

Per Jake Fischer, Mike Brown reportedly interviewed with the Knicks yesterday. Ian Begley also reported yesterday that Brown and Taylor Jenkins remain in the top tier of candidates while Jason Kidd looms. In other news, Ime Udoka joined Billy Donovan as the second coach to receive a contract extension after the Knicks tried to interview them for their head coaching position.

Oh, and Game 7 of the Finals will take place on Sunday night.

KAT & Mouse

In the immediate aftermath of New York’s Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, the big question facing them this offseason hadn’t changed from the big question going into training camp:

What, exactly, is Karl-Anthony Towns?

Or, more precisely, where is Karl-Anthony Towns?

As in, does he slot in primarily at center, or spend most of his time alongside a more traditional big man?

Towns’ previous team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, spent the better part of a decade asking themselves the same question, finally concluding that using KAT primarily at the five had run its course. As a result, they made one of the more shocking trades in NBA history, sending out almost the entirety of their available draft stock to acquire three-time (now four-time) Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.

At the time, many saw it as a move meant to insulate Towns’ defensive weaknesses, but that’s not really accurate. Because of the difficulties that come with carrying three max salaries on the same roster in the apron era, the day they made the Gobert trade was essentially the day they punched KAT’s ticket out of town. Looking back, while they gave themselves a two-year window to see if the partnership could work, the Wolves ultimately decided that if Towns couldn’t hold up as a center, he wasn’t worth keeping around.

Or at least not at his robust price tag, he wasn’t.

That brings us to the most subtle major decision the front office has in front of them this summer. Even though he has three seasons remaining on his current contract (two guaranteed years followed by a player option), Towns will be eligible to sign a two-year extension starting on July 7. The total amount for those two seasons based on current projections?

$150 million.

(Apologies to anyone who just choked on their Cheerios.)

You can see where this is going. While KAT’s contract situation doesn’t present nearly the same level of urgency as that of Mikal Bridges, next season is a massive one when it comes to Towns’ long term future in New York. As we know, Leon Rose will not sit around and wait for impending free agency situations to play out. Much like the head coach he just fired, he wants to keep as many things within his control as possible.

That means the Knicks have the next 12 months to answer the following three questions: