The New York Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in a pre-training camp deal that nobody saw coming. They sent Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a 2025 protected first-round pick to the Timberwolves in the multi-team deal. That pick became French center Joan Beringer, whom Minnesota selected with the No. 17 pick in the first round of the draft. Beringer is a project, but one with high potential.
New York had one of the best starting lineups in the league, at least on paper. The front office knew their defense would take a hit with Towns at the five, but the team's offense, on the other hand, would thrive. At least that's how it was at first.
It turns out that the starting lineup is part of what doomed the Knicks in the playoffs. They were a minus-50 throughout the postseason before Tom Thibodeau made a lineup change, replacing Josh Hart with Mitchell Robinson. Having Towns as the primary big turned out to be a problem rather than a solution. He's never been a good defender, nor has Jalen Brunson. Opponents knew that and attacked them both. It didn't help that their offensive pairing wasn't as dominant as many believed it would be.
New York has several questions it needs to answer this offseason, including Towns' future. It initially seemed like the Knicks won the trade, as Randle and DiVincenzo struggled at first in Minnesota; however, that changed as the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference finals for the second consecutive year, largely because of Randle's play.
Timberwolves select Joan Beringer with pick they received from Knicks in KAT trade
Some members of New York's brass might be wishing that the Towns trade hadn't happened, especially after the draft, knowing that pick could've been used in another deal. Perhaps the Knicks would have used it in a deal for Kevin Durant, who wanted to be in New York, but the interest wasn't mutual.
To state the obvious: It's not a good thing that there is speculation about KAT's future, especially for a team that made the move with the hope of getting closer to winning a title. The Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years, but their play against a scrappy Pacers team was underwhelming. Will the team's next head coach find a way to take things a step further in 2026 with Towns? Or will another surprise trade happen?
Maybe none of this KAT discourse will matter within a year, if the Knicks enter the territory they've waited over 50 years to return to. For now, though, concern about what will come next continues to rise.