Magic trade hypothetical lands Karl-Anthony Towns from the Knicks

It was plenty of reported activity from the New York Knicks on the trade market, as their front office has been very busy looking for ways to improve the team. The Knicks have fallen short of expectations this season, struggling since hoisting the NBA Cup trophy in mid-December, and big changes could follow if they don’t fall far short of where they expect to be come playoff time.

With the Knicks on shaky ground, Karl-Anthony Towns found himself involved in trade rumours. Towns was brilliant in his first season in New York, but his numbers have dipped this season and his defensive effort has been questioned.

Given that Towns earning $53 million this season and is projected to make $57 million and $61 million over the next two seasons, respectively, the Knicks may be looking for a way to settle their contractual obligations to the 30-year-old big man who is playing inconsistent basketball this season.

To that end, one team rumored to be interested in Towns is Orlando Magic. At least the Magic are considering the idea of ​​adding Towns to their young, up-and-coming roster, and they at least have some pieces that could be of interest to the Knicks.

If the two were to come to terms, here’s what the trade would most likely look like.

The Magic are consolidating the talent to land Karl-Anthony Towns from the Knicks

Knicks acquire: Jaylen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr., Jonathan Isaac, ORL 2026 second round pick.

Magic acquisitions: Karl-Anthony Towns, Guerschon Iabusele

Why the Magic are making this trade

The The Magic have well-documented cap issues; this crisis they are about to face has even forced them to not pick up Jett Howard’s fourth-year team option. They dealt max contracts to the likes of Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bain, not leaving much room for the rest of the roster.

There seems to be an overwhelming sense that the Magic are ripe for either a salary trade, especially with Jonathan Isaac, or a consolidation trade that packages some of their huge contracts moving forward to acquire one All-Star talent that perfectly complements the team’s core.

Towns, at the very least, would be an overpowered version of Carter for the Magic on offense. He’s a much more skilled three-point shooter than Carter ever was, and the Magic have the savvy defenders to at least help offset Towns’ deficiencies on that end of the floor.

Carter’s contract also starts next season, and will make around $18 million, $19 million and $20 million over the next three seasons. That’s fair money for a starting center of Carter’s caliber. But the Magic must know there is risk involved in that deal.

Carter has missed some time with injuries in the past, and trading him at least helps mitigate some of the risk that comes with their investment in the 26-year-old big man.

Speaking of injuries, Jalen Suggs never seems to be healthy for Magic. He’s only played in 25 of Orlando’s 45 games and hasn’t been active in recent games as he’s still dealing with the effects of a knee injury. Suggs has just one fully healthy season, playing 75 games during the 2023-24 season, and last season was particularly difficult, playing just 35 games.

With Anthony Black breaking out and about to get his own contract extension, Suggs has become more expendable than ever. Now, when healthy, Suggs is one of the best defenders in the NBA. But it’s a major caveat with a lot if built into it.

Losing a homegrown talent like Suggs can be tough. His contract is also pre-loaded, meaning yes his contract it gets cheaper (and more valuable) as the years go by. But with Orlando in wind-down mode, they might be better off devoting that space to safer things.

Black became a legitimate starter to the NBA should make releasing Suggs easier for the Magic. The sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft is averaging nearly 16 points per game with four rebounds and four assists, and he’s not too shabby on defense either.

Isaac is another injury-prone player with a big contract, but even he hasn’t been playing that much lately for the Magic. His contract is quickly turning into one of the worst in the NBA, and getting rid of that contract should be a huge win for Orlando.

A starting lineup moving forward of Black, Bain, Wagner, Banchero and Towns would do so much damage and still have Tyus Jones, Goga Bitadze, Mo Wagner, Noah Penda, Jace Richardson and Tristan da Silva logging minutes off the bench, with Gershon Jabussel looming as a wild card.

Why are the Knicks making this trade

Several NBA insiders are calling Knicks on the losing side in the Towns trade it required them to send Julio Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Randle is a borderline All-Star who has been solid all season, while DiVincenzo continues to be one of the best snipers in the NBA.

Trading Towns away for this Magic package allows New York to make the team more focused on Jalen Brunson and their wing talent. This gives them more of a defensive identity, and it’s not like they don’t have the strength to produce a top-10 offense even when Towns isn’t in the cards.

Head coach Mike Brown can split minutes more evenly between Carter and Mitchell Robinson, and he’ll also have the option to send Isaac out there against faster, smaller units. Carter becomes a floor-spacing option, while Robinson comes in as a bruising, two-on-five option, similar to how the Toronto Raptors used Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol in 2019.

And then it should be very easy for Brown to integrate Suggs, and putting him in a reduced role should help him stay fresh when the plays matter. Adding Suggs, an NBA-level defenderalong with Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby would wreak so much havoc against the opposition, and are also enough creators and scorers that the Knicks shouldn’t suffer too many breakdowns on the offensive end.

Suggs could either start alongside Brunson and take over the quicker matchups, shielding his more offensive-minded teammate from the tougher matchups, or he could come off the bench and give way to Josh Hart against teams that need more size and strength to tackle.

Either way, Suggs gives the Knicks so much lineup flexibility while also addressing their need for a reliable backup/secondary point guard. And he’s only 24 years old, and as mentioned earlier, his contract declines in value over the next four seasons, making it easier for the Knicks to extend his deadline to fight.

The risk, of course, is that Suggs, Carter and Isaac have injury histories. But playing a stacked Knicks roster should theoretically make it easier for them to stay healthier. Taking on huge contracts with Carter and Isaac might not be ideal for the Knicks, but gambling on Suggs’ side under a team deal makes it very worthwhile. And on their own, those contracts shouldn’t be too hard to ditch if push comes to shove anyway.