Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks are still reaping the benefits of winning a championship last season. For the first time in 53 years, the Knicks were on top of the NBA, and while Jalen Brunson won Finals MVP, there was much more to the story of their success.
The 2026 Knicks squad wasn’t built through the draft, but rather through trades. Every starter (on a healthy night) was acquired via trade, and Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson were the only players drafted by the Knicks who contributed. They now return to the 2027 season with a very similar roster, replacing Robinson with Andre Drummond.
Winning a championship isn’t easy, and a lot of things have to go your way. Midway through the season, the Knicks faced a tough sequence of games. They went 2-9 during a rough stretch in January. At the same time, another Eastern Conference team began struggling. That was the Milwaukee Bucks, home of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Where the Knicks Planning To Trade Karl-Anthony Towns?
Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) battle for the ball during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn ImagesCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Rumors began circulating around Antetokounmpo’s name, with some even suggesting he may land in New York. Towns didn’t have quite the best season last year despite a terrific playoff run. He averaged 20.1 points a night, the lowest since his rookie season a decade ago. This made him the key piece in trade rumors that would have him packing his bags and playing for Milwaukee.
This rumor got so intense that Towns took it upon himself to begin shopping for homes in Milwaukee, according to a report by Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“After a 17-point loss at home to lowly Dallas on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the vibes were at their lowest,” Krawczynski said. “Towns’ name was starting to circulate in trade rumors, most notably involving Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.”
“We were on Zillow looking at Milwaukee,” Towns recalled. “Like, ‘Hey, babe, I went around town, and it’s not that bad. This could be a good spot right here.”
Towns claims he was being proactive, already planning to be sent away from the team in his second year with them. He couldn’t have been any more wrong, and thank goodness for New York.
They broke free of a mid-season slump and finished the season 53-29, landing them the third seed in the Eastern Conference. More impressive was the run they went on in the playoffs, where Towns really shone. They went 16-3 throughout the playoffs, winning 12 of their last 13 after the first round.