Karl Anthony-Towns Joins Embiid on Knicks' List of Dream Targets

The New York Knicks keep dreaming and are rumored to be keeping an eye on Karl Anthony-Towns, along with Joel Embiid.

The New York Knicks’ quest for another star failed last season when they struck out on Donovan Mitchell. Although it seemed the former Utah Jazz first-round pick was headed to the Big Apple during the 2022 offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the market as a dark horse candidate and landed the high-flying star.

New York didn’t go empty-handed on acquiring notable players last season. Despite not catching the big fish, the Knicks’ ability to pry Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks turned out to be a booming move as the former Villanova star averaged 24 points, six assists, and four rebounds while shooting 42 percent from deep in the regular season.

When the lights got brighter, Brunson helped lead the Knicks past Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs before coming up short in the second round. In 11 games, Brunson boosted his scoring to 28 points per game.

Would the Knicks still go after Mitchell if he were to tell Cleveland he wants out at some point? Most likely. But with New York finding comfort in Brunson’s emergence last season, the Knicks have been targeting some of the NBA’s elite bigs.

All summer long, the Philadelphia 76ers had to see their MVP center, Joel Embiid, become the face of Knicks trade rumors. While Embiid has remained loyal and sold on the Sixers, despite the drama as of late, the Knicks are ready to jump to the front of the line to make their best offer for Embiid if he were to request a trade.

However, New York wasn’t just eyeing up the Sixers’ star. They also had their sights set on the former MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, out in Milwaukee. Prior to the Bucks’ big move in landing Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Knicks hoped that Antetokounmpo would force his way out from Milwaukee. With Lillard there for the next few seasons, the Greek Freak is likely to stay a while.

So, the Knicks pivoted again. According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, the Knicks are monitoring the situation surrounding Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns, who has a previous working relationship with New York’s head coach, Tom Thibodeau. 

“Although a seemingly poor fit together in Minnesota, multiple sources stated that Thibodeau would welcome coaching Towns again,” Bondy writes. “That’s relevant if Towns hits the trade market, and the Knicks, according to sources, are monitoring his situation.”

Another day, another star big the Knicks are keeping an eye on. While the narrative out of New York is beginning to sound like a broken record, I’ll add that landing Towns could end up becoming the most realistic scenario for the Sixers’ rivals.

Antetokounmpo is satisfied in Milwaukee once again. Embiid remains committed to the Sixers, and even if he wasn’t, I have a hard time believing the Sixers would be willing to trade the face of their franchise to their division rival. 

For a player like Towns, landing on a non-conference organization that has familiarity with the star doesn’t seem far-fetched. 

There doesn’t seem to be an active trade request out in Minnesota, so the Knicks will have to continue playing the waiting game for the time being. Considering the Wolves have found themselves exiting in the first round of the playoffs over the previous two seasons after missing the playoffs three times in a row before that, patience has to wear thin at some point in Minnesota if they don’t get off to an inspiring start. 

I wouldn’t bank on the Knicks landing Towns at some point during the 2023-2024 season, but it’s certainly a situation to keep an eye on from the Sixers’ perspective.