Teams that stay together win together, and Karl-Anthony Towns wants to put that to the test. This summer, with so much movement expected across the league, it’s impossible to predict what might happen with the defending NBA champions.
For his part, Towns just wants the core group to stay together, and there’s no price he’s unwilling to pay to ensure long-term prosperity. In fact, during an appearance on ‘Club Shay Shay,’ the star big man explained that he might be willing to sacrifice millions if it meant he got to keep playing with his current crew.
“If we can keep it all together,” said Towns on taking a $100 million pay cut. “We all have to get in the room and say we’re going to do it. I mean, Jalen Brunson, shout out to him. That’s a lot of money. But you know what? You can’t put a value on the fact that he’s where he wants to be. And I think that’s a big value number that no one’s thinking of. He’s with his father. He’s super comfortable. He has a team that believes in him. I think that belief that a team and organization can give you is something that’s worth a lot, a lot, a lot of money. And they give him that belief, and I think that he felt that was the best situation for him, and I root him on for that.”
Jalen Brunson took a historic pay cut in July of 2024, when he left over $100 million on the table by signing a four-year, $156.5 million extension. Had he waited the following summer, he could have signed a projected 5-year, $269 million supermax contract. Nevertheless, Brunson chose to sacrifice for his team, giving them the flexibility to build a championship roster. We just saw the results in this playoff run, when the Knicks went 16-3 to win the title.
In the same way, Towns says he’d be willing to give up his own salary, and it leads us to believe that the Knicks will not do anything to shake up this star-studded core. Between Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart, the Knicks like what they have, and the players desire to stay together in a league that’s constantly changing.
Fortunately, KAT is still under contract through the 2027-28 season, with a $61 million player option. He doesn’t have to think about taking a pay cut until that deal expires, by which point he’ll be in his mid 30s. The NBA landscape will have completely changed by then, and the Knicks will be in a whole different situation than they find themselves now.
Even so, after helping to deliver the Knicks their first championship in 53 years, Towns’ legacy has already been immortalized in New York City, and the franchise will be more willing to pay in order to keep him and Brunson together. The real question for the Knicks is how much longer their title window stays open with this roster.
With Brunson and Towns at 29 and 30, respectively, the Knicks’ core isn’t getting any younger, and they don’t have endless time to run the team. That’s why GM Gersson Rosas must do what he can to preserve this roster and replicate the formula that just achieved so much success.
