Knicks Among Betting Favorites for Karl-Anthony Towns, Damian Lillard

When it comes to landing big talents that are potentially moving on, the odds are apparently in the New York Knicks' favor.

With apologies to Han Solo, New York Knicks fans may want to be told these odds.

SportsBetting.ag's first probabilities of the NBA offseason have the Knicks among the top options for potential veteran movers like Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns (both at 3/1), should they leave their exclusive employers in Portland and Minnesota. They're the top option to acquire the services of Towns, who might escape the mediocrity of Minnesota via trade and they're tied for the second-best chance to finally pry Damian Lillard away from the Pacific Northwest.

The Knicks linger among other star acquisitions: they have the fourth-best immediate chance to land Bradley Beal (5/1) and they're also dark horses for Phoenix's Chris Paul (16/1) and DeAndre Ayton (20/1) and tied for fifth in the eternal LeBron James movement discussion (6/1, best odds among Eastern team next to his original employers in Cleveland). 

New York rumors and management have made no secrets about adding another big-ticket free agent after Jalen Brunson lived up to every expectation of the first year of a $104 million contract and then some. These odds have to inject at least a sliver of optimism as the Knicks press forward into the daunting, yet desirable, task of building upon their most successful season in a decade.

These deals, of course, don't factor in the potential sacrifices involved and landing an All-Star talent could leave almost everyone from a 47-win, playoff-series-winning roster ... beyond Brunson, that is ... exposed to a potential move. New York is also bereft of a pick in next week's NBA Draft but they might have three first-rounders in the 2024 selections (an extra pair stemming from potential transfers with Dallas and Washington).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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