Expectations were sky-high for Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks in 2025-26. In what was expected to be a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Knicks were projected to be one of the contenders for the NBA Finals. While the team is still in third place, there are obvious holes in the team’s attack that could prevent them from making a deep postseason run.
NBA Rumors: 3 Possible Trade Destinations For Karl-Anthony Towns
One of those issues has been Towns’ recent struggles. He has looked out of rhythm for weeks now, averaging just 16 points per game over his last 10 contests, and his overall scoring output is down nearly 4 full points from last season. Towns has become far less efficient as he was in years’ past, and noise about his future is getting louder by the day.
That noise turned into something more serious once head coach Mike Brown went public with his frustration, openly questioning consistency and urgency. Whether this is a temporary rough patch or the beginning of the end, several teams around the league are monitoring the situation closely. Here are three destinations that make the most sense if Towns’ time is running out.
Betting lines provided by BetOnline (subject to change)
Orlando Magic (+300)
The Magic came into the 2025-26 NBA season with elevated expectations, but are in range to be a Play-In team as we close out the month of January. One of their biggest issues is their three point shooting, as they rank 29th in the league in percentage in that category, and spacing has been a major problem. Having a knock-down shooter like Towns in the fold would likely help their operation.
The spacing that he would create would be a massive benefit to Paolo Banchero, and would signal an “all-in” approach for Orlando in a season in which the Eastern Conference appears to be wide open. But the major concern lies in their lack of assets. They are devoid of much of their draft future due to the Desmond Bane trade, meaning that even a three-team trade would be difficult to pull off.
Still, they’re listed as the favorites by BetOnline at +300.
Golden State Warriors (+400)
The Warriors seem to be in the mix of rumors for every big name on the NBA trade market. In fact, they are listed with the second-lowest odds by BetOnline for both the Domantas Sabonis and Jaren Jackson Jr. futures as well.
But Towns makes plenty of sense for Golden State. One of their two biggest problems is rebounding and general interior presence, and no player in the league averages more boards than Towns has through the first three months of the season. Another issue is the lack of go-to scorer aside from Stephen Curry, especially after the injury to Jimmy Butler. Towns has seen his three-point percentage suffer in 2025-26, but he’d make the team a long-distance threat like they have been in years’ past.
Cleveland Cavaliers (+500)
The Cavaliers are not having anywhere near the same kind of dominant regular season in 2025-26. After finishing as the no.1 seed last year, they are currently 27-20 and 7.5 games behind the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and could be looking to the trade market in order to bolster their roster ahead of the playoff push.
But would Towns be a target? It would make sense that they would want to add an established star, especially one with a legit three-point pedigree. But the Cleveland frontcourt isn’t exactly in desperate need of an upgrade, with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen already a massive part of their rotation. But if the Knicks are demanding someone like Allen in return for Towns’ services, then it may be one of the options that the Cavaliers will need to explore.
