The New York Knicks needed a center this offseason. Mitchell Robinson is still weeks away from playing his first game of the season following multiple ankle surgeries. New York did not want to rely on Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims as their only options at the five. It forced the Knicks to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns on the eve of the season.
KAT has been outstanding since arriving in the Big Apple. He is forming a dynamic duo with Jalen Brunson and put himself in the running for MVP honors. The Knicks are second in offensive rating and look like serious contenders. Towns is a massive reason why.
The Knicks almost had zero reason to acquire KAT. They kicked the tires on several big men, including a free agent signing that would have drastically changed this season.
Knicks were interested in Jonas Valanciunas before trading for Karl-Anthony Towns
Ahead of the Knicks win over the Wizards on Monday night, Stefan Bondy spoke with Jonas Valanciunas where he confirmed New York was interested in free agency.
Spoke this morning with Jonas Valanciunas (14 points, 5 rebounds early in the first half), and he said there was some interest from Knicks in free agency this summer:
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) December 31, 2024
"I heard something from that side. But there's a lot of X&Os. Salary cap issues, this and that. Strategic…
Ultimately, JV signed a three-year $30.2 million contract with Washington in free agency. The Knicks had to complete cap gymnastics to make the KAT trade and could not afford to give Valanciunas $10 million per year. New York could have figured it out but did not see JV as a large enough priority to make it happen.
Valanciunas is a strong rebounder and screen-setter. He cannot shoot like Towns, but both are plus offensive options with questionable rim-protection. Knicks fans should not be surprised to hear their franchise was interested in JV, but things would be very different if they went that route.
Valanciunas averages 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.8 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game for the Wizards this season. He is shooting 55.9 percent from the field and 92.4 percent on his free throws. Valanciunas is drawing plenty of buzz on the trade market and could be flipped to a contender before the Feb. 6 deadline.
The Knicks would still have Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo if they signed Valanciunas over trading for KAT. That depth is unlikely to make them better. Towns has transformed their offense and made them elite. New York hopes it continues into the playoffs, but only time will tell.
Signing Jonas Valanciunas would have likely resulted in the Knicks being a tier below Boston and Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. They would be searching for a significant trade leading up to the deadline and hoping to make a deep playoff run. When healthy, the Knicks are title contenders with KAT. There would have been plenty of regret if they signed JV over chasing the star.
The New York Knicks are no stranger to disaster, but they narrowly avoided it this time.