Karl-Anthony Towns Will Take Less to Keep Knicks Core Together

Main Story: Karl-Anthony Towns says he’s willing to take less than a max contract to keep the Knicks’ championship core together. But New York has paused extension talks after offering a reported $200 million over four years, leaving a gap between the team’s proposal and the deal Towns is expected to seek.

• Knicks’ reported offer: 4 years, $200 million.
• Reported expected range: $225 million to $240 million.
• The offer would be more than $70 million below Towns’ maximum.

Towns says keeping the team together matters more to him than getting the maximum. Still, he may have a firm minimum in mind—and New York has not indicated it will meet that number. The team’s refusal to spend into the second apron puts more pressure on players to accept less.

• New York has paused extension talks with Towns and three other players.
• Towns could decline his player option and enter unrestricted free agency if he remains dissatisfied.

The sides could resume negotiations later, but the pause leaves less time to reach a deal before Towns can test the open market.

Towns is signaling a willingness to compromise, but that alone won’t close the gap: the Knicks must decide whether keeping a title-winning core is worth raising their offer.