In many ways, the New York Knicks made the right call when it came to shelving extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns until they get further along into the season.
After all, after months of far-apart negotiations, halting talks weeks before opening night rather than leaving things open-ended until the October 19 deadline inherently prevents unnecessary distractions as the club gears up for their title defense tour.
Of course, though putting a pin in contract discussions may have been the right move to make, former franchise cornerstone Carmelo Anthony is vehemently arguing the front office went about it in the wrong way.
During a recent episode of his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, the Hall of Famer and long-time vocal supporter of the Knicks and, surprisingly, even James Dolan, spoke candidly about his disdain for New York's approach to shutting down extension talks with Towns.
In response to KAT's "news to me" reaction to the tabling news, Melo said the Knicks "dropped the ball on that one" and believes the problem with this whole situation is not that Leon Rose and company ended the conversation but, rather, "how you deaded the conversation."
"If that's the case then that's a communication thing right there... You don't let that get outside," Anthony said.
Now, in their effort to avoid distractions, the Knicks have opened the door for their star big man and arguably the biggest influence on last year's championship run to feel a level of disrespect by being kept out of the loop on their decision-making.
Teams already eyeing Knicks star as possible trade target
So much for the Knicks trying to avoid distractions by tabling extension talks, as they've now ironically managed to create a number of them in the process.
Perhaps the biggest one is the recent rumbling that Towns is now being eyed by teams as a potential trade candidate heading into this season, with the New York Post's Stefan Bondy reporting that an anonymous executive revealed both the Bulls and Clippers are regarded "as possible suitors" for his services.
The veteran center is currently eligible to sign a $276 million max extension, while the Knicks are reportedly only offering him $200 million over four seasons.
Openly frustrated and "disappointed" by this whole ordeal, it's worth noting that Towns holds the keys to his own fate beyond the 2026-27 season, as the final year of his current deal is controlled by a player option, meaning he could decide to enter free agency as soon as next summer.
Such a move would make reaching an agreement on a new contract all the more difficult for the Knicks, as a bidding war on the open market would almost certainly ensue.
So while he may be looking to stay in New York for the long haul, Towns could make his way out of town rather easily should he have a change of heart. Be it in free agency next summer or via trade this season, clearly the big man will have plenty of options to choose from.
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