If the New York Knicks are seriously interested in trading for Kevin Durant, building a package around Karl-Anthony Towns is the cleanest way of acquiring him. But before they can even think about making that swap, they must line up at least one other move first: The addition of a center.
This is non-negotiable. The Knicks already need another big man on the roster if they want to play Towns and Mitchell Robinson together more often next season. That urgency increases tenfold if they’re moving one of their only two usable centers for a forward.
Sure, Durant’s arrival would signal a commitment to one-big units. He is most dangerous these days at the 4, where he remains a nightmare mismatch on offense, and has demonstrated the supplementary rim protection to handle low-man helper responsibilities.
Still, without Towns on the roster, Robinson and Ariel Huckporti would be the only Knicks bigs under contract for next season. That is untenable even if New York plans to explore KD-at-the-5 lineups.
The Knicks cannot be too dependent on Mitchell Robinson
Landing Durant without reeling in at least one other notable big man would leave New York much too reliant on the health and stamina of Robinson. This team knows that’s not a good place to be.
Robinson missed the vast majority of the 2024-25 regular season recovering from ankle surgery. Unfortunately, this isn’t a misnomer. Over the past half-decade, he’s missed an average of nearly 40 games per year.
When Robinson is healthy, there’s no guarantee he can shoulder the typical workload of a primary 5. He has never averaged 30 minutes per game for an entire season, and has only once cleared the 25-minute threshold while also making 60 appearances.
Trading KAT for KD without getting a reliable backup 5—or even a starting center—would put undue pressure on Robinson, and ultimately set up the Knicks for failure. This isn’t a risk they can afford to take.
New York should pass on a KD trade if it can’t figure this out
This is the type of hangup that should be a deal-breaker in Durant trade talks if the Knicks cannot find a resolution. In fact, New York may already be out of the KD sweepstakes, according to the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy—although ESPN’s Shams Charania reports they remain involved.
Including Towns in any KD deal is divisive enough given their age gap. Durant turns 37, and is on an expiring contract. Towns will be 30 in November, and has more years left on his deal. The Knicks can justify the dice roll in any number of ways. KD isn’t as much of a liability on defense, he will be a more consistent No. 2 option, and while his arrival seemingly tightens their window, he could prove cheaper moving forward, depending on how much he wants in an extension.
Regardless, the move makes zero sense without acquiring adequate contingencies at center. Whether the Knicks have the tools to work around this bump in the road is debatable. They won’t have more than the mini mid-level of $5.7 million to spend in free agency, and don’t have a ton of assets to hawk in other trades.
Maybe the mini MLE gets them Al Horford, Brook Lopez or Steven Adams, particularly if they’re offering the chance to start. Perhaps they can get the Phoenix Suns to include Nick Richards in any deal, though their proximity to the second apron makes that a challenge. Mark Williams and Robert Williams III could be subsequent trade targets. Ditto for Duop Reath and Jaylin Williams.
The list of possibilities can go on. And if the Knicks end up moving KAT to get KD, they must be prepared to explore every single one of them.