In 2022, the Boston Celtics let a homegrown wing walk to Milwaukee in free agency rather than pay him what he believed he was worth. A decision the front office justified through the same “cap flexibility” language teams have used for decades to talk themselves into losing good players. Two years later, the New York Knicks faced the identical question with Karl-Anthony Towns, and this time the front office is choosing its words carefully enough that nobody outside the building actually knows which way it’s leaning.
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Speaking on The Athletic NBA Daily, Sam Amick was asked whether Karl-Anthony Towns is close to an extension with the Knicks.
“Admittedly, I don’t have a great beat on that one,” Amick said. “Tricky dynamics so far, and this could always change. I give both sides credit for keeping the headlines to a minimum.”
“Because of Jalen Brunson’s choice to give back so much money – or leave so much on the table – when he did, it just put pressure on guys like KAT, and really around the NBA, to do a similar type thing,” Amick said. “And KAT’s max number is just so massive that it could devastate the Knicks’ books. And that is what they’re faced with.”
Towns is eligible for a four-year, $272 million extension. If he declines his $61 million player option for 2027-28, a deal that would pay him $68 million annually and roughly $75 million by his age-34 season in 2030-31. Under his current deal, Towns is set to earn $57.1 million in 2026-27, already one of the highest cap hits on New York’s roster.
Brunson signed a below-market extension in 2024 that left more than $100 million on the table. This was relative to his true max value, a sacrifice that enabled New York’s front office to build the roster depth around him that ultimately delivered the franchise’s first championship in 53 years.
That decision has become the organizing principle of how the Knicks now approach every subsequent star negotiation. And the unspoken expectation, as Amick framed, is that Towns is being asked to make a similar sacrifice for a team he only recently helped elevate into title contention.
Brunson signed his extension entering his age-28 season. Towns turns 31 in November, meaning any max-length extension would carry him through his age-36 season, a stretch where even durable big men typically show real decline.
Front office sources have suggested New York is more likely to offer Towns something in the $50-60 million annual range rather than the full $68 million he’s eligible for. A below-max deal that would still make him extraordinarily well-paid while preserving enough flexibility to keep building around the championship core.