New York Knicks management clearly thought talk about contract extensions for Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart were becoming a distraction, so they paused those talks until later in the season.
That move caught Towns off guard, he told James Edwards of The Athletic.
"It was news to me," Towns said. "Very disappointed, to say the least. Let's state the obvious: It's a business, but there is business on the court for us to handle."
Towns hits on a key point: This is a veteran New York roster that is not going to let contract talk or other things distract them. They will be professional and focused.
New York has four players eligible for extensions — Towns, Hart, Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek — but it's Towns and Hart that are drawing attention as the Knicks try to find a way to keep their championship core together while the second apron looms.
Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million extension, but he's repeatedly said he is willing to take a discount to help the team — just not as big a discount as the Knicks were thinking. New York reportedly offered four years, $200 million, a $50 million per season average, which is a considerable pay cut from the $57.1 million he will make this season (Towns has a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 season). Towns has said he feels he's earned a payday, coming off a season in which he averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game and was critical to the Knicks winning an NBA title.
The Knicks want to cool the temperature and put negotiations on hold for a little while, and released this statement.
"As an organization, our entire focus is on preparing for the upcoming season and delivering another year for our fans to be proud of. As a result, we will not be negotiating contract extensions until later in the season and will remain solely focused on preparing for the start of the season."
The Knicks just didn't tell Towns about it before they announced it.