Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks are apparently very far apart on a new contract extension ahead of training camp next week.
Talks between the Knicks and Towns have “stagnated” and an agreement is now considered unlikely, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Vincent Goodwill. The two sides have spent extensive time discussing the extension this offseason, “but there has been no movement lately in negotiations.”
It’s unclear if a deal will end up getting done, or what it would look like. Towns is eligible for an extension worth up to four years and $273 million. He is owed $57 million for this season on his current deal, and he has a player option for the 2027-28 campaign that would pay him $61 million. Currently, Towns is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
Towns averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season, his second with the Knicks, while earning his sixth All-Star nod. The 30-year-old was a key piece in the Knicks’ playoff run, and he shot 55% from the field while averaging 15.9 points and 10.6 rebounds in the postseason while helping the Knicks win the NBA Finals. It marked the team’s first championship since 1973.
Towns is one of several Knicks players either currently facing a contract decision or preparing to. Josh Hart is currently eligible for a new deal, and both Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby will be eligible for extensions next offseason.
To be clear, Towns and the Knicks could come together and reach a new extension at any point. But as it stands, according to ESPN, a new extension is not imminent and appears unlikely in the short-term.
The Knicks will open the regular season against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden.