Who is to blame for the New York Knicks’ elimination? That is the question of the hour as they missed out on what would have been their first Finals in 25 years. As Tom Thibodeau himself said during the post-game presser, “It’s improvement from last year, but it’s ultimately not what our ultimate goal is”.

Even after spending the 4th highest amount on salaries, not being able to reach the ultimate goal can cause people to point fingers. While it’s hard to pinpoint the blame on any one player, the favorite one to blame currently seems to be Karl-Anthony Towns.

In the aftermath of the New York Knicks’ elimination, NBA reporter Kevin O’Connor took to his official X account. Instead of reporting any new update, however, he instead chose to pass a personal opinion, which was “Trading KAT should be priority #1 for the Knicks.” No additional context. This would cause one to wonder why the reporter would put out a statement like this.

Much of the criticism would have stemmed due to the Center’s performance in the recent playoffs. From a stat standpoint, the player wasn’t doing anything wrong, as he averaged 24.8 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 6 games.

However, the Indiana Pacers are a fast-paced team (it’s a good thing they are called Pacers). Their prowess was seen in Game 2, when Indiana was reportedly “hunting Towns on defense” during the 2nd half in an attempt to put him in pick-and-roll mismatches against Tyrese Haliburton. The issue did not get resolved in Game 6 either, as his pick-and-roll defense gave Tyrese Haliburton far too much space by staying back. Not defending well against one scorer is bad enough. Not doing it well against Tyrese Haliburton? Straight-out catastrophic.

When the New York Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns in one of the most shocking trades of last year’s off-season, the idea was for the team to improve their offense in the absence of defensive star Isaiah Hartenstein. The offensive results were mixed, with Towns averaging points and rebounds in the double digits but with inefficient scoring. The defensive downgrade from Hartenstein to Towns, however, was worse. With both Towns and Jalen Brunson on the floor in the playoffs, it became hard to even get stops.

Amidst all this, and with Tyrese Haliburton having walked off the series by averaging 21.0 points in 6 games, Karl-Anthony Towns comes off as the perfect scapegoat. As it turns out, the same isn’t a belief solely held by Kevin O’Connor. The truth became known after the Knicks’ elimination.

NBA Fans promoted Karl-Anthony Towns’ trade after Conference Finals elimination: “Get him the f–k outta here”

One social media user wrote “Honestly, trade Karl Anthony Towns for some bent paper clips for all I care. Just get him the f–k outta here”.

In their recent report, ‘The Athletic’s Fred Katz and James Edwards wrote that “Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies. Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter”. Amidst this locker room tension, it seems likely that the Knicks might pursue a trade for the player in the off-season.

While others highlighted their frustration, some came up with some genuine trade suggestions. One individual wrote, “The Detroit Pistons need to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. He’s the exact player they need offensively and they have the perimeter defenders to mask his defensive issues”.

As reported by Athlon Sports, the Detroit Pistons were able to improve their condition majorly this season, thanks in part having a reliable lead guard in Cade Cunningham and plenty of young wings. What they need improvement at, however, is shooting and center play. On top of that, the team ranked dead last in salaries spent this season. Therefore, the Pistons can certainly afford to cover the 4-year, $220.4 million designated veteran extension contract that the player currently holds.

One social media user wrote, “Lakers fans hear me out, Karl Anthony towns would be a nice addition , and you can keep dfs and then trade Austin reaves for some defense”.

If there is one team that needs defense, it is certainly the Lakers. The team certainly left a gap on that front after they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic back in February. The Lakers’ front office initially tried to rectify that by acquiring Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for star rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a future first-round pick, and a pick swap. However, the trade failed to materialize after it was reported that Williams failed his physical. The lack of defense cost the Lakers, as they lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.

One individual wrote, “The Knicks fans now hate Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves fans now hate Julius Randle. If that’s not a fair trade, then idk what is”. Well, this ‘backsies’ agreement really would be a first in the NBA. Trading back the same players that were sent to the other team a year ago. However, given how Towns spent 9 years playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves without such defensive issues coming out so prominently, perhaps the player would be happier there.

One social media user wrote, “I have seen enough. Trade Karl Anthony Towns. Trade Bridges. F–king GARBAGE #Knicks #KnicksPacers”. Given such remarks being in abundance on X, it seems that the frustration against Towns is not set to die down anytime soon.

Overall, the majority of reactions saw people united in trading off Karl-Anthony Towns. Now, the decision is up to the Knicks front office. Whether they decide to remove Madison Square Garden as the player’s home court in the coming months is something that remains to be seen.