Karl-Anthony Towns of the Knicks brushes off rumors about being traded

Trade Rumors Surrounding Towns

TORONTO — Karl-Anthony Towns, who has been at the center of trade discussions leading up to next week’s deadline, mentioned he’s not bothered by the ongoing speculation.

“Honestly, there have been trade rumors for nearly a year, and I’m just not invested in that,” said Towns, who joined the Knicks from the Timberwolves prior to last season. “I don’t pay attention to social media or any of that noise. My focus is the game, and winning each night. If I’m doing that, I leave feeling accomplished. What someone else says or writes? It doesn’t concern me,” he added.

Sources indicated that the Knicks hadn’t engaged in talks regarding Towns with other teams, at least as of early this week. Nonetheless, his recent performance issues have fueled speculation about his future, especially with the news of Giannis Antetokounmpo potentially being on the market, which could amplify the rumors further.

Towns has a close relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose, having been represented by him during his time at CAA. Still, he clarified that he hasn’t discussed any trade speculations with Rose.

“The only priority here is winning, which is why we won’t get sidetracked by anything else,” Towns expressed before the Knicks’ decisive 119-92 victory over the Raptors. “Ultimately, our discussions revolve around one thing, and that’s winning: How do we achieve this? What can we do to help the team reach its potential? We have to make sacrifices every night to be the best version of ourselves. That’s my commitment, regardless of outside opinions.”

Towns, an All-NBA player last season, was eligible for a contract extension but saw no progress towards a deal before the season began. Unfortunately, he is experiencing career-low statistics this season, continuing his struggle during Wednesday’s game (hitting only 3 of 11 from three-point range), yet he did manage to pull in a season-high 22 rebounds.

The Knicks recently faced some challenges, suffering from back-to-back losses.

Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson missed Wednesday’s game due to “ankle injury management,” following the previous day’s win against the Kings.

Additionally, Josh Hart (ankle management) and Jalen Brunson (illness) were uncertain before the matchup. Hart contributed 22 points, while Brunson had an unusually quiet night, scoring only 13.