The Golden State Warriors have had interest in Karl-Anthony Towns in the past, and they could now explore that once again after reports that the All-Star big man and the New York Knicks are parking contract extension discussions until later in the season.
As reported by ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday, the Knicks and Towns have been unable to come to an agreement on an extension, leaving the Warriors ideally placed to explore a move for the 30-year-old whether via trade or in free agency next year.
Warriors are well placed to explore huge Karl-Anthony Towns move
Armed with expiring contracts, draft assets and a couple of young pieces, there's few teams better placed to trade for Towns than the Warriors if the Knicks eventually reach that point before February's mid-season deadline.
Alternatively, Golden State could wait until free agency next year to sign Towns on the proviso of him opting out of his $61 million player option. The Warriors' ability to create max cap space for a player like Towns also hinges on whether an extension comes for Brandin Podziemski in the next 10 days, leaving an even bigger watch on what happens with the young guard.
Golden State could be even more motivated to pursue a Towns move with the uncertainty surrounding their current starting center in Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian big man is again dealing with an illness that's seen him away from the team to this point of preseason, and which has him likely to miss the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers in less than two weeks.
Towns would not only be an upgrade on Porzingis on the floor, but more importantly be far more reliable after playing in 72 and 75 games over the past two seasons, while also elevating his stocks during the Knicks' run to the NBA championship only a matter of months ago.
Warriors already floated as option for Karl-Anthony Towns
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins has already floated the Warriors as a potential option, stating, “if I'm Karl-Anthony Towns, I'm looking at old Steph Curry and Golden State.”
Towns would make total sense for Golden State given the value they've recently placed on stretch bigs, having drafted Quinten Post, signed Al Horford and traded for Porzingis all in the space of the last 2.5 years.
Towns would be on another level as both a shooter and overall player, having averaged 20.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season. The former number one overall pick is a career 39.7% 3-point shooter on over four attempts per game.
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