The Knicks Have a Karl-Anthony Towns Problem - and Winning Won't Solve It
After stealing Games 1 and 2 in San Antonio, the New York Knicks are two wins away from their first championship since 1973.
And yet one of the players largely responsible for New York’s NBA Finals run might not be there much longer.
Let’s begin with Game 2 on Friday night, an absolute thriller.
The Spurs opened up a 12-point lead early before the Knicks flipped the script with a 31-point second quarter. San Antonio stormed back late and had a chance to steal the win in the final seconds. But the Knicks survived the scare, holding on by a single point to take the game 105-104 after another strong all-around team effort.
Victor Wembanyama ended with 29 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, while De’Aaron Fox added 20 points and five assists on an absurd 66.7% shooting.
But New York answered every punch. Jalen Brunson grinded out 20 points along with six assists and five steals, despite an ugly 7 of 25 shooting night, and Mikal Bridges scored 20 points and six assists on 61.5% shooting.
Karl-Anthony Towns, however, was the story of the night. He finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists on 8 of 12 shooting, including 3 of 5 from deep.
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New York now leads the NBA Finals 2-0. Game 3 is on Monday night at Madison Square Garden, with tip-off set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
But even with an NBA title firmly within reach, it still won’t eliminate the Knicks’ biggest problem.
On Sunday, The Athletic’s Sam Amick dropped a report that highlighted how even if the Knicks win it all, there is no guarantee Karl-Anthony Towns stays.
Amick noted that Towns has one guaranteed year left on his current deal and holds a player option worth $61 million for 2027-28. He’s also eligible for a massive four-year, $272 million extension this summer.
The problem is that the Knicks are already deep in second-apron territory, the NBA’s harshest financial penalty zone.
Teams sitting above the second apron face massive restrictions. They can’t aggregate salaries in trades, can’t use the mid-level exception freely, and face punishing luxury tax bills that compound over time.
Signing Towns to a max extension would put New York in a financial hole for half a decade, gutting their ability to fill out the roster around their stars.
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Towns is worth every penny with the way he’s playing right now. A 7-footer who shoots 60% from three in the Finals, rebounds in double figures, and facilitates the offense is rare.
But the Knicks already have Brunson and OG Anunoby on major money.
The front office has to ask whether they can keep winning with a depleted bench, or whether Towns opts into that $61 million year, walks, and New York rebuilds around the pieces left standing.
If the Knicks win the title, Towns has earned his extension. But if ownership hesitates, he can opt in, play out the year, and hit the open market as a champion and an unrestricted free agent. Every contender in the league would be calling.
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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 5:01 PM.