The reigning NBA champion New York Knicks are on a mission to become the first team to repeat in almost a decade. But there's one pressing issue they have to address: Karl-Anthony Towns' tenuous contract status.
Amid reports that the Knicks are asking Towns to take a discount because they don't want to go into the second apron any time soon — and Towns understandably balking at such a suggestion — there's a distinct possibility that this discussion could linger into the Knicks' title defense season. Towns has a 2027 player option on his current contract. Given the likely distraction that would present with New York's second-best player, it's a situation that the Knicks and Towns clearly want to avoid. So they can at least agree on that.
However,
as noted by Towns at Knicks media day, even simply being in a contract standoff with New York's brass about his playing future is awkward and uncomfortable enough. I get it:
KAT on if he'd be comfortable if talks on contract extension go into the season: "In this situation, there's no comfortability to be had."
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) September 28, 2026
While I will probably personally pick the field because it's so hard to win a title, the Knicks still have a very real chance at repeating as NBA champions this coming season. Here's hoping, for their sake, that they don't let something as silly as contract extension talks with their second-best player become a rusty anchor on their title defense.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Karl-Anthony Towns acknowledged the difficulty of his Knicks contract talks lingering
