The Chicago Bulls are in the early stages of a long-overdue rebuild, which would make a blockbuster move for Karl-Anthony Towns questionable at best. Still, there’s an argument to be made that acquiring the NBA champion big man would be worth the risk — just not the financial one.
Towns and the New York Knicks are reportedly far apart on a potential contract extension, a situation that has caught the eye of rival teams across the league. Would the defending champs listen to offers for their 30-year-old star center?
Logically, the Bulls make sense as a destination for Towns. They have cap space to play with, assets to trade and a need for a center, especially one who would space the floor for Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis. Stefan Bondy of the New York Post made that exact point, in fact (h/t Bleacher Report).
But it's hard to justify making the trade and giving Towns a long-term deal worth more than $200 million.
The Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns aren't close on a contract extension
Towns will make $57.1 million this season in the final year of a four-year, $220 million pact he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022. The deal includes a $61 million player option for next season, but the six-time All-Star is ready for a lucrative new deal and is eligible for one worth $276 million over four years.
New York is reluctant to even get near that dollar figure, however. According to ESPN, the Knicks offered the veteran center a four-year contract worth $200 million.
The Knickerbockers have now officially tabled discussions with Towns "until later in the season," a development that has put even more strain on the relationship between the two parties.
The Bulls should cautiously approach a Towns trade
The veteran center finally shed his playoff-bust reputation last season and helped lead the Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years. The former No. 1 overall pick averaged 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks with shooting splits of 55.1/41.6/90.9.
A stretch-five like Towns who can rebound and protect the rim would be an ideal partner for Buzelis and Wilson. His ability to spot up from the 3-point line would give the Bulls' franchise cornerstones room to operate off the dribble. Towns is also an underrated playmaker who could keep the ball moving and feed them easy baskets.
He's not Rudy Gobert on defense, but he would provide some level of cover to allow the two to use their length and athleticism to roam the floor and cause chaos.
The Bulls have the assets to tempt the Knicks into a trade if New York and Towns can't agree on a new deal. And they do have the available cap space to give him the massive new contract he desires.
It's simply hard to justify the Bulls giving him that much money at this stage in their rebuild.
Add us as a preferred source on Google