At least one thing has been inconsistent about all of the reports we've seen so far about the New York Knicks and All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of the trade deadline: whether or not they're looking to move him. Marc Stein wrote for The Stein Line on Monday night that despite Knicks officials downplaying trade talks involving Towns behind the scenes, other teams don't necessarily believe them.
Stein says NBA teams think Knicks would move Towns in right deal
Newsday's Steve Popper started things off by reporting that the Knicks had had conversations with the Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic, and Memphis Grizzlies on top of the Milwaukee Bucks, involved because of the team's pursuit of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Popper followed that up by downplaying his report, saying that the team wasn't actively having trade conversations with anyone else about Towns. NBC's Chris Mannix afterwards that the team isn't looking to do a deal involving Towns, calling one "unlikely" ahead of the deadline.
On Monday, though, Stein started off the new week with a new account, reporting that he's determined from conversations with NBA organizations other than the Knicks that New York is indeed willing to move Towns – even if it happened midseason.
“Behind the scenes, Knicks officials have tried to downplay any notion that Karl-Anthony Towns could be traded during the season amid New York’s (and Towns') January struggles. However ... A belief persists among some rival teams that Towns is in play to some degree. Or that the Knicks, at the very least, have tried to get a sense of what his market would be," Stein wrote.
The last line there is key, with Stein making clear that he doesn't know how actively the team has been shopping Towns. All he does know is that they seem to be shopping him, whether seriously or not. That contradicts other reports that have been put out in recent weeks, and adds fuel to the fire that the team is lining up everything they can in an effort to optimize their pursuit of Antetokounmpo.
Even if they can't get something done for Giannis ahead of this year's trade deadline, they can get themselves a step closer to acquiring the Greek Freak by trading for one of his most important teammates from his 2021 championship run with the Bucks in Jrue Holiday.
Stein reported in the same newsletter that the Knicks have interest in Holiday, which connects directly to Jake Fischer's report from Sunday that the Portland Trail Blazers could be key to a deal that sends Giannis to New York because of their longstanding interest in Mikal Bridges.
There's definitely something interesting cooking here. We'll see what happens ahead of February 5, when teams have to be done making trades whether their stars are happy or not.