Karl-Anthony Towns on chances of signing extension with Knicks before season: ‘It don’t look good’

As the New York Knicks prepare to begin their NBA title defense with a preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night, star big man Karl-Anthony Towns reiterated his frustration over stalled negotiations on a contract extension to remain with the Knicks for years to come.

From Stefan Bondy of the New York Post:

“Simply put, I want to do something to keep the team together and can work with the Knicks and also values me,” Towns said Monday before the preseason opener. “And none of those things are close to happening.”

Asked about the possibility of an agreement before the regular season starts, Towns said, “It don’t look good.”

Towns, who played perhaps the best basketball of his life during New York’s run to a title back in June, has one fully guaranteed season left on his contract, and holds a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign. He is eligible for an extension worth a maximum of $276 million over four years — a deal with an average annual value of $69 million per season, which would make him one of the highest-paid players in the league.

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The Knicks have thus far balked at that price tag, according to multiple reports. Their reluctance owes partly to the prospective perils of paying a 7-footer north of $70 million as he enters his mid-30s, but primarily to the painful financial crunch of paying to keep together a championship roster — a difficult fiscal reality that makes Towns’ extension negotiation one of the most interesting to monitor in the league heading into the 2026-27 season.

Karl-Anthony Towns doesn’t sound optimistic about his chances of signing a contract extension before the start of the new season. (Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)

(Caleb Bowlin via Getty Images)

As it stands, New York has just under $226.7 million in salary committed on the books for the 2027-28 season, according to Spotrac — about $9.3 million below the projected second apron line for that season. That figure includes team options on Josh Hart (who is also currently eligible for, and very much interested in, a contract extension) and 2024 draftees Pacôme Dadiet and Tyler Kolek; it does…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/karl-anthony-towns-on-chances-of-signing-extension-with-knicks-before-season-it-dont-look-good-173514657.html

Author : Dan Devine

Publish date : 2026-10-05 17:35:00

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