The New York Knicks are falling apart at the seams. Sort of. They're 27-18 and No. 3 in the Eastern Conference, but no one appears to be having much fun. Kind of spoiled if you ask me, but alas, trade rumors for Karl-Anthony Towns are feeling more realistic and less like pure hypotheticals as we approach the deadline.
If Towns really is gettable right now, Joe Cronin should be on the phone with the Knicks front office every day. Rumor has it that the Blazers want to "buy" at the deadline, and Towns would be the biggest possible splash they could make. Adding an All-NBA center (who is having a down year, but remains incredibly talented and valuable when he's on his game) is not an opportunity that comes around often.
It wouldn't come cheap, though. I do not believe that the Knicks are willing to salary dump Towns because, well, that would be ridiculous to do with a guy who made an All-NBA team last year. Instead, the Blazers would likely need to be willing to part with their young defensive anchor.
Blazers could send Clingan, Grant, and Thybulle to Knicks for KAT
Before you start crafting your angry email to Rip City Project, please hear me out. I know it would hurt to trade Clingan, who has lived up to his billing as a defensive anchor. Portland is considerably better when he's on the court.
But Jerami Grant has been on the trade block for years, meaning his value around the league probably isn't as high as Blazers fans think. Matisse Thybulle is an expiring contract. And Clingan, despite tremendous defensive upside, will never be the offensive weapon that Towns is.
We know the Blazers, as a small-market team, don't have the same opportunities as other franchises to get stars. When they become available, sometimes painful things must be done.
Think of it this way; would the sum of three different trades — a Grant deal, a Clingan deal, and a Thybulle deal — net the Blazers something (or someone) more valuable than Karl-Anthony Towns? Not likely. So why not package them together and get a 5-time All-Star?
Granted, this is all speculation right now. There are no real rumors linking Towns to the Blazers. But the Blazers sound like buyers, Towns appears to be available, and this deal would work financially for both sides. The Blazers get a second star to pair with Deni, the Knicks get more rim protection and wing scoring punch from Grant.
Blazers may have eyes on a different Knicks starter
According to Jake Fischer, the Blazers have long been fans of another Knick, Mikal Bridges, and would be interested in swooping into a Giannis-to-NY trade as a landing spot for the wing.
But what if, instead of waiting for two other teams to make a blockbuster, the Blazers just make the blockbuster themselves and go really big game hunting with KAT?
Maybe you, as a Blazers fan, would rather just wait things out and hop in as that third team for Bridges. I can't blame you if that's your preferred path forward. Bridges would be a huge get for the Blazers too, and would form a pretty fun wing duo with Deni Avdija.
That move, though, would require two teams that aren't the Blazers agreeing on a deal. In this hypothetical, the Blazers can add a star just by being aggressive themselves — but it likely wouldn't come without some heartache in trading Clingan.
Fans questioned Joe Cronin giving up two first-rounders for Deni Avdija. Then they questioned why the Blazers would trade for an aging Jrue Holiday. Being aggressive is always going to make fans nervous, but aggressive moves are what got Portland to the promising place it's in right now. This move would certainly fit the category of aggressive — and immediately raise the ceiling for the Blazers for years to come.