NBA Trade Rumors: Will a move for former no. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns benefit the New York Knicks?

With the NBA season coming to an end, teams have already started preparing for next year. Star players and coaches will be in high demand as the franchises will be looking to improve their roster and coaching staff. The latest NBA trade rumors suggest that the New York Knicks, who finished another year as a lottery team, are expected to be quite active in the offseason.

DSJ weavin' through traffic for this week's #KnicksArtFriday (🎨 : designsbyantho/IG) pic.twitter.com/0WqrBBAVy4

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 2, 2020

NBA Trade Rumors: Should the New York Knicks explore the possibility of acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns?

New York Knicks v Washington Wizards

NBA trade rumors suggest that the New York Knicks, after missing out on key free agents like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant last off-season, will be looking to make amends this year.

Despite the free agency class being weak, the New York Knicks will have to acquire key players whose skill-set complements those of rising talent, RJ Barrett. At just 24 years old, Karl-Anthony Towns could be the player the New York Knicks build around for the future. His contract has four years left on it following this season.

During the 2019-20 season with the Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns ended up averaging 26.5 points per game to go along with 10.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Towns also blocked 1.2 shots per game. He shot 50.8 percent from the floor overall and knocked down 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts.

---

---

New York Knicks v Washington Wizards

Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best big men in the league as he arguably has the most versatile skill-set among the players who play his position. He can dominate in the post against a smaller matchup and can shoot over anyone on the perimeter. He also has good ball-handling skills, which means he can share the playmaking load with RJ Barrett for the New York Knicks.

Brothers. pic.twitter.com/YOrCvupgOt

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 4, 2020

The trade looks good on paper as the New York Knicks will get a poster boy for their franchise and Karl-Anthony Towns will get a move to a big market team. However, there is suspicion over his defensive ability as he has shown vulnerability against centers and power forwards in the paint in the past.

If Karl-Anthony Towns is not able to fix his defense, it would become very difficult for the New York Knicks to hold the opponents to a respectable score next season.

---