Knicks Notes: Clarkson, Halftime Meeting, Lineup, Issues
A return to Salt Lake City brought out the best in Jordan Clarkson. The Knicks reserve guard scored a season-high 27 points against the Jazz, his former team, in a 134-117 win on Wednesday.
He played 26 minutes, the most court time he’s seen since Christmas Day. He had only played a total of 20 minutes in his three other March appearances.
“For him to go out and perform the way he did, you couldn’t ask for anything better,” coach Mike Brown said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “And it goes to show he’s not just keeping his body right but his mind is in a good spot to go after coming in when you’re down [18 points] in the first half. So just to see that, you couldn’t ask for anything better. Especially from him, who is a veteran who hasn’t been playing or in the rotation and all of a sudden we need him.”
Clarkson will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- A halftime challenge helped perk up a team that had lost its previous two games. The Knicks outscored Utah 78-52 in the second half. The coaches and players both spoke up during the break, Bondy writes. “It was our halftime speech, in terms of how we came at each other, where we tried to hold each other accountable,” Clarkson said. “And then just came out here and wanted to win.”
- Slow starts have been a major problem for the Knicks since the All-Star break. In the last 11 first quarters prior to Wednesday, their usual starting five had a net rating of minus-15.3. Landry Shamet replaced an injured Josh Hart in Utah but the results didn’t improve. Jared Schwartz of the New York Post argues that making changes to the lineup of Jalen Brunson, Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns probably won’t make much of a difference. Inserting Mitchell Robinson wouldn’t make much sense either, considering his load management plan.
- ESPN columnist Vince Goodwill breaks down five issues confronting the Knicks prior to the playoffs. Getting the most out of Towns and getting Brunson back in form are two of the biggest items on Goodwill’s list.
Injury Notes: Antetokounmpo, Prince, Young, Hart
Playing on Tuesday in just his fourth game since January following a lengthy absence due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 22 points against Phoenix, but gave fans a scare or two when he appeared to tweak that troublesome calf. After the game, head coach Doc Rivers spoke about the injury, saying the calf wasn’t affected and that the incidents weren’t as bad as they initially appeared, as Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes (Bluesky link).
“I was scared,” he said, per The Athletic’s Eric Nehm (Twitter link). “The one time he went down in the first half, he said he was fine, he just tripped over a guy’s foot, so there was no injury. And then he got hit in the groin. And I’m thinking that’s a calf, the way he went down… and then he was just winded.”
Antetokounmpo ended up playing 32 minutes in the loss, his highest minutes total since January 23.
We have more injury news from around the league:
- Bucks forward Taurean Prince, who has been out since November after undergoing surgery to address a herniated disk in his neck, returned to action on Tuesday. “It’s cool because, honestly, I didn’t think he’d play this year,” Rivers said, per Nehm (via Twitter). “The fact that he’s worked the way he’s worked to get back on the floor, it’s just all about him and who he is. It really is. It’s really a cool thing.” The Bucks’ head coach went on to elucidate how important Prince’s presence was throughout the season, even when he was hurt. “When he got injured, we grabbed him and told him, ‘Welcome to the coaching staff’ because that’s basically what he was gonna be this year,” the coach said. “And early on, it did look like that. He was in a brace, couldn’t really do anything. And then as his neck started healing, hope came.”
- Wizards guard Trae Young missed Tuesday’s against the Heat, which turned out to be a historic contest, due to knee injury management, the team tweeted. Young recently returned to play for Washington after speculation that he would miss the rest of the season following his trade from the Hawks. He has yet to play more than 20 minutes in a game for Washington.
- Josh Hart is being listed as questionable for the Knicks‘ game against the Jazz on Wednesday due to left knee soreness, Steve Popper notes (Twitter link). Hart has suited up for the last 15 Knicks games, and while he’s averaging just 28.7 minutes per game, he is coming off one of his heaviest workloads of the season, playing nearly 37 minutes in Monday’s loss to the Clippers.
Knicks Notes: Brown, Starters Minutes, Bridges, McBride
Knicks head coach Mike Brown received his first technical foul of the season in Wednesday’s three-point home loss to Oklahoma City, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Brown was upset about a non-call with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cut past OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson tried to take a charge (YouTube link).
“You guys saw the play. SGA had two fouls, and Jalen was there, and he ran him over,” Brown said after the loss. “I just don’t understand why that was a no-call, but that should have been his third [foul], the bucket shouldn’t have counted, and we should have gone the other way with the basketball.
“So to see that knowing Jalen is standing there and putting his body on the line, and our guys are fighting our asses off and to try to win the ball game, it didn’t sit well with me.”
For what it’s worth, the official Twitter count of NBA referees explained why the play was not called a charge (Twitter link), stating that Brunson didn’t give Gilgeous-Alexander enough space to avoid contact after receiving a pass outside of the lower defensive box.
According to Vincent Goodwill of ESPN, Brown didn’t use the non-call as an excuse for why the Knicks lost the game. For his part, Brunson said he appreciated his coach having his back.
“I’m going to have his back every single night. He has ours,” Brunson said. “Regardless what he does or techs he gets, I’m going to have his back.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- As Brown planned, all five starters are playing fewer minutes per game in 2025/26, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. None of those five have seen his minutes cut back as drastically as Josh Hart, who led the league with 37.6 minutes per game in ’24/25 and is averaging 30.2 MPG in ’25/26. “It takes a little bit of an adjustment,” Hart said. “I think it also depends on how I’m playing. Games last year, the year before, if there was an 82-game season, you’re bound to have bad games. I think some of those bad games, I shouldn’t [have] played as much. You could’ve went to Landry [Shamet], or more minutes for Cam [Payne], something like that. So this year, it takes a little bit getting used to but you’ve got guys like Landry playing extremely well this season, obviously Deuce [Miles McBride] was playing well before he got hurt, we’ve got Jose [Alvarado]. I’m cool with it. As long as we win, I’m cool with it.”
- It has been an up-and-down season for Mikal Bridges, who has had some big individual games (like Sunday’s victory over San Antonio) mixed in with some forgettable performances (like Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City). As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic writes, Bridges has very solid counting stats, but for better or worse, the veteran wing is often judged for the opportunity cost it took to acquire him.
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link) recently provided an update on McBride, who is recovering from surgery for a core muscle injury (sports hernia). “I still think there’s positivity there, things have been going well,” Begley said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to fret or worry about Miles McBride not being back and ready to go for the postseason. That’s the trajectory that I’ve heard about and talked to people about, and I haven’t heard anything different than that.”
Atlantic Notes: Diawara, Tatum, Nets Guards, Hart
Mohamed Diawara‘s emergence as a rotation player has made his future with the Knicks an offseason priority, Stefan Bondy writes for the New York Post.
Diawara, who has become an unexpectedly reliable shooter off the bench for New York, is on a one-year, $1.3MM contract that makes him eligible for restricted free agency this summer. Since the Knicks signed him to that one-year deal, he has become perhaps the team’s best draft pick since Miles McBride was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, Bondy writes in a separate piece.
“There’s just a lot of little things when you see Mo play that make you go, ‘Oh my gosh, wow,'” coach Mike Brown said. “And all those things, when you add them up to a possible opportunity, it gives you more confidence as a coaching staff to throw him out there and say, ‘OK, let’s see what’s going to happen.'”
While he has shown some interesting flashes of dribbling and passing at 6’9″, Diawara knows what he needs to focus on if he wants to succeed in the future.
“Three-point shooting and defense,” he said. “Those are things that are going to make me stay in the league for the longest.”
Bondy writes that the still-raw wing is not expected to command a large market as a restricted free agent but that his contract situation will be one of the more important ones for the team to resolve, after that of impending unrestricted free agent Mitchell Robinson.
We have more from the Atlantic Division:
- There’s still no timeline for Jayson Tatum‘s return from his Achilles tear, but there have been encouraging signs of late, including his recent 5-on-5 scrimmage with the Celtics‘ G League team. Teammate and co-star Jaylen Brown recently added his cautious endorsement, saying, “In terms of what I’ve seen, he looks pretty damn good,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin (via Twitter).
- Nolan Traore knows the Nets are a work in progress, but he believes he and fellow rookie Egor Demin complement one another well and could become Brooklyn’s long-term backcourt, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We complete each other, and we play great [together],” Traore said. “He is a good shooter, and it is always good for me to play with good shooters.” Head coach Jordi Fernandez says he likes what he’s seen from the two and challenges them to improve their physicality. Traore started the season in and out of Brooklyn’s rotation, but he has hit his stride of late, averaging 12.0 points and 4.8 assists on 43.2% shooting from deep in his last 12 games.
- Josh Hart is an identity-setter for the Knicks, but despite being an integral part of the team’s success, he knows he’s unlikely to ever get an All-Star nod, Steve Popper writes for Newsday (subscriber link). “I think you’d always like to be an All-Star,” Hart said. “Do I think a guy that’s my style of play is really going to be an All-Star? Probably not. If I was ever fortunate to be in that position, I would love it, but I just know the play style, it’s not the glitz and the glamour to it.” The Knicks have a record of 29-14 with Hart playing this season and have gone just 6-6 without him.
Knicks Notes: Sochan, Alvarado, Diawara, Deadline, Grades
The Knicks like Jeremy Sochan‘s “defensive versatility, upside” and ability to handle the ball, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter video link). The former lottery pick will reportedly sign a veteran’s minimum deal with New York covering the remainder of the season once he clears waivers.
As Begley observes, the Knicks’ ability to sign Sochan is largely due to the fact that Guerschon Yabusele agreed to decline his $5.8MM player option for next season because he wanted an opportunity to play again. New York was able to deal Yabusele to Chicago for Dalen Terry, then flipped Terry ($5.4MM) and a pair of second-round picks to New Orleans for Jose Alvarado ($4.5MM).
The Knicks saved enough money in those moves that they were able to add a player on the buyout market right away, rather than having to wait until the final weeks of the season.
The Spurs reached a buyout agreement with Sochan on Wednesday once he had another team lined up, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News. While McDonald’s use of the term “buyout” suggests the fourth-year forward gave up some money as part of his release, that hasn’t been confirmed or reported elsewhere.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Backup guard Alvarado has quickly made a strong impression on his new team, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Alvarado took umbrage with Trendon Watford on Wednesday after the Sixers forward committed a hard foul on Mitchell Robinson, sparking a Knicks run that blew the game open and ultimately resulted in a 49-point victory. “He did a hard foul, but I think he did a little extra with the staring,” Alvarado said. “I’m just not gonna go for none of that. It was just in the moment. That’s when I’m at my best, I guess, getting a little active. It worked out in my favor.” The Brooklyn native had a huge game, tying a career high with eight threes en route to a season-high 26 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds in just 19 minutes. He was a team-high plus-35 as well, Schwartz notes. “That’s what we need,” Josh Hart said of Alvarado. “That’s what we want from him. Obviously that toughness, ability to help us get organized, ability to knock down shots. And defensively bring energy, bring physicality, get in the passing lanes, those kinds of things. That’s why he’s here.”
- Second-round pick Mohamed Diawara wasn’t expected to play much for the Knicks as a rookie, but the 20-year-old forward has taken advantage of his recent opportunities with OG Anunoby sidelined, James L. Edwards III writes for The Athletic. Hart says he noticed Diawara’s potential in training camp. “In camp, I thought he was going to be real good,” Hart said. “He’s young, raw and inexperienced. He’s good defensively, and he’s an even better shooter than I thought. It always looked good, but now it’s going in. I think he’s a good decision-maker in the pocket. He’s athletic and can finish at the rim, get guys involved. I love where he’s at, and he’s continued to work.”
- Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic review New York’s deadline deals and look ahead to the remainder of the season. Both writers stuck with their preseason predictions that the Knicks will make the NBA Finals, though neither feels as confident in that prediction as they did a few months ago.
- In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Stefan Bondy gives out midseason grades for each player on the standard roster, with Jalen Brunson receiving the lone A (Hart and Landry Shamet each got an A-minus). He also grades the performance of head coach Mike Brown (B) and the offseason moves of Leon Rose (C-minus).
Dillon Brooks, Brandon Miller Earn Player Of Week Honors
Suns forward Dillon Brooks and Hornets forward Brandon Miller have been named the Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, according to the league (Twitter links).
Brooks led his team to a 3-1 record during the week of January 26 to February 1 while averaging 28.8 points per game on 54.5 percent shooting from three-point range. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists during those four contests, which included victories by double-digits over the Pistons and Cavaliers.
Miller averaged 26.3 points in just 29.8 minutes per game as the Hornets enjoyed a 4-0 week capped by a win over San Antonio The third-year wing shot 50 percent from three-point range, grabbed 5.8 rebounds per game, and made all 25 of his free throw attempts en route to his first ever Player of the Week award.
Besides being named Player of the Week for the first time in their respective careers, Brooks and Miller are each became the first player from his team to earn the honor this season.
Brooks beat out a handful of stars for the weekly awards. Luka Doncic (Lakers), Kevin Durant (Rockets), Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) and Kawhi Leonard (Clippers) were the other Western Conference nominees.
Jarrett Allen (Cavaliers), OG Anunoby and Josh Hart (Knicks), Cade Cunningham (Pistons), Joel Embiid (Sixers) and Aaron Nesmith (Pacers) were also nominated in the East.
Knicks Rumors: Dosunmu, Towns, Bridges, Trade Tiers, More
Within a trade deadline guide for the Knicks, James L. Edwards III of The Athletic mentions Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu as a player New York might be interested in. The Knicks are fans of Dosunmu’s game, but it would “cost a lot” to acquire him, says Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Edwards specifically points to Miles McBride as a player the Knicks might have to give up in a deal for Dosunmu, who earns $7.5MM this season and will be a free agent in the offseason if he doesn’t sign an extension before then. However, Edwards doesn’t view scenario as likely, noting that McBride has been a key contributor for New York and is on a team-friendly contract.
A “few” rival executives Edwards spoke to don’t think Karl-Anthony Towns is off-limits in trade talks, but his value is believed to have declined since the Knicks acquired him. That’s also the case for Mikal Bridges, multiple league sources tell Edwards. Both of those factors seemingly make the Knicks a long shot to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo, even though they remain interested in the superstar forward.
If Towns is traded by February 5 in a deal that doesn’t involve Antetokounmpo, Edwards hears the Knicks would likely receive salary-matching pieces. Minor draft compensation may be included as well. While he wouldn’t be surprised if the five-time All-Star is moved in a non-Antetokounmpo deal, Edwards thinks that outcome is unlikely.
Here’s more from Edwards on the Knicks:
- New York continues to shop Guerschon Yabusele, but his contract is viewed negatively and rival teams think the Knicks will have to attach assets to move him unless he’s included in a major multi-team trade, sources tell Edwards. Yabusele is included in Edwards’ “most likely to be traded” tier along with Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson. According to Edwards, Clarkson could be a buyout candidate after the deadline if the two sides decide to part ways — the veteran guard has been out of the rotation lately.
- Edwards’ “could get traded, but I wouldn’t bet on it” tier consists of Towns, McBride and Mitchell Robinson. As Edwards writes, New York’s front office has a history of trading players on expiring contracts, but Robinson has been very valuable when active and it probably doesn’t make sense to move him given his on-court contributions.
- The “won’t get traded unless in an Antetokounmpo-type deal” group features OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Bridges. The only untouchable player on the Knicks’ roster is Jalen Brunson, according to Edwards.
- Edwards also lists three small-scale trades that could make sense for the teams involved. One of Edwards’ fake deals would see New York acquire Jose Alvarado and Karlo Matkovic from New Orleans in exchange for Yabusele, Dadiet and Washington’s 2026 first-round pick, which is top-eight protected and almost certain to be conveyed as two second-round picks. Those two second-rounders hold real value though, and Edwards isn’t sure it would be worth it, but Alvarado has drawn a good deal of interest on market.
Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Towns, Robinson, Anunoby
Trade rumors continue to swirl around Guerschon Yabusele, and the veteran forward/center concedes he thought his time with the Knicks would be much different than what has actually taken place, according to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post.
“It’s definitely not what I was expecting to [do] coming into the season,” Yabusele said before Saturday’s win at Philadelphia. “I thought it would be a little more different.”
After being a rotation regular for the Sixers last season, Yabusele has played a very minor role with New York, averaging just 9.2 minutes per game across 38 appearances. He went scoreless in three minutes against his former team on Saturday.
The 30-year-old sounds open to a new destination, Schwartz writes, as Yabusele recently retweeted a social media post from a French account that read, “A trade and a good situation for the captain [of the French national team], that’s all we’re asking.” Still, he’s not used to being the subject of trade speculation.
“It’s nothing that I can control,” Yabusele said. “Just try to be smart, preparing, [be] as ready as I can. To go out there when my name is called and to give everything on the court.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Head coach Mike Brown said after Friday’s practice that he has made some changes to the offense to help Karl-Anthony Towns, but wing Josh Hart said he’d rather have the big man locked in on other end of the court, writes Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. “It’s a little different [playing under Brown compared to Tom Thibodeau, but] we are basketball players. We have to be able to adapt to different situations,” said Hart. “I think coaches have to adapt, and their players have to adapt to their coach. I think there’s a good middle ground and sometimes we’re still trying to figure that out. At the end of the day, he’s a good offensive player and he’s going to figure that out. He’s gotta make sure he focuses on defense. I don’t wanna hear too much about him shooting. I want to hear about him blocking shots.”
- Towns, who was a game-time decision for Saturday’s contest due to back spasms and appeared to be bothered by the issue throughout the game, only managed to play 16 minutes before fouling out with 5:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
- With Towns struggling, backup center Mitchell Robinson stepped up and helped lead the team to a victory, Bontemps adds. “We locked in defensively,” said Robinson, who finished with six points, 10 rebounds (six offensive), two steals and two blocks. “We came back into halftime to see what we were lacking, especially myself. Defensively in the first half, I ain’t do too great. But definitely in the second half came with more energy.” Robinson, who was plus-14 in 27 minutes, is playing on an expiring $13MM contract and will be a free agent in the summer if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.
- New York led Saturday’s game by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter, but Philadelphia mounted a comeback bid that came up just short thanks in part to the late-game heroics of OG Anunoby, Schwartz notes. The final two minutes were chaotic, with both teams blowing opportunities, but the Knicks managed to win their second straight game. Anunoby scored five points and dished out an assist on a Landry Shamet three down the stretch. “OG changed the game defensively,” Brown said. “And his quick decisions with the basketball. It was beautiful to watch.“
Knicks Notes: Historic Win, Towns, Hart, Meeting, Clarkson
It’s been an uneasy stretch for the Knicks and they took out their frustrations on the Nets on Wednesday night. The Knicks snapped a four-game losing streak and made history with a 120-66 blowout.
The 54-point margin of victory is their largest ever — their previous high was 48 points, which they accomplished three times, in 1968, 1972, and 1994, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post notes. The Nets’ 66 points were the lowest any team has scored this season.
“Just seeing us play the way we’re capable of playing,” head coach Mike Brown said. “I don’t know what the score will be every night, but the things that we did out on the floor, we talked about, we drilled, we watched film on and our guys are more than capable. So to go see them put it together for 48 minutes was a lot of fun.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- Karl-Anthony Towns‘ name surfaced in trade rumors earlier this week, but Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter video link) hears there’s nothing doing there. “I checked around on this Monday, everything that I gathered is the Knicks are not having conversations on trading Karl-Anthony Towns,” Begley said. League sources previously told Newsday that the Knicks have discussed potential Towns deals with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.
- Josh Hart denied an ESPN report that Jalen Brunson called a players-only meeting on Monday following a loss to Dallas. “We didn’t have a players-only meeting. Y’all dragging it,” Hart said, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “We didn’t have a players-only meeting. I don’t know who said it, who did all that, but we didn’t have a players-only meeting.” Hart said there was some discussion after the loss but wouldn’t characterize as a meeting. “We talked, but it wasn’t like some big thing. So that got dragged. We didn’t have a players-only meeting,” he said. “We know what we have to do. We cleared stuff up yesterday in film and practice and today in walkthroughs. We know we haven’t been playing up to our capabilities, but we’re gonna continue to play off this (Wednesday) win.”
- Jordan Clarkson, one of the Knicks’ main offseason acquisition, has disappeared from the rotation. He played two minutes against the Mavs and only saw garbage-time minutes against Brooklyn, Schwartz writes. “Yeah, it could be tough to get him in the rotation,” Brown said. “Obviously Deuce [McBride] played well during his time, Mitch [Robinson] played well, Landry [Shamet] played at a pretty high level before he got hurt. So trying to find minutes for those guys as well as for our starting group is tough. I can’t even hit the minute threshold for all those guys that I’m looking for. It can be tough from time to time.” Going along with that theme, Winfield notes that the team’s other main offseason addition, Guerschon Yabusele, also finds himself at the end of the bench.
Knicks Have Talked To Multiple Teams About Trading Towns
The Knicks‘ 2025/26 season reached a new low point with Monday’s 17-point home loss to the injury-ravaged Mavericks, writes Steve Popper of Newsday (subscriber link). New York trailed by as many as 30 points in the first half and was down 28 at halftime, when fans at Madison Square Garden “serenaded” the team with boos.
The Knicks have now dropped nine of their past 11 games and are in danger of falling into play-in territory after holding a 23-9 record three weeks ago. In the 10 games leading into Monday, they had the second-worst defensive rating in the NBA, Popper notes.
The team’s effort was particularly dispiriting considering the Knicks had their full complement of players available — Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Josh Hart (right ankle soreness) both returned to action following injury absences.
“Guys are gonna be banged up, guys aren’t gonna be 100 percent, it’s the dog days of the season,” Hart said, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (subscription required). “But the effort, I think last year no matter what we did, the effort was there. I haven’t seen this kind of effort that we had today, it was embarrassing.”
Hart admitted prior to the game that his ankle isn’t fully healthy, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
“I want to be out there to try to help the team as much as I can so (the team’s recent struggles) did (influence his decision) a little bit; a combination of that, there’s the competitiveness and the impatience that I display,” Hart said.
Two weeks ago, owner James Dolan said he expected the team to — at minimum — reach the NBA Finals. He also expressed confidence in the team’s roster and chemistry. The Knicks were promptly blown out by the top-seeded Pistons and have a 2-6 record since that public interview.
Both Popper and Bondy point out that Dolan left his courtside seat at halftime and did not return for the second half. The last time Bondy recalls that happening was during a lopsided loss in 2019, when former executives Scott Perry and Steve Mills were forced to speak to reporters after the game. Then-coach David Fizdale was fired a few days later; Mills was dismissed not long after that.
Bondy isn’t advocating for the team to fire head coach Mike Brown, which he thinks would be “reactionary and ill-advised.” But Bondy does believe a major roster shake-up is in order, and says everyone aside from Brunson and Hart should be available. That includes Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two players the Knicks acquired in previous blockbuster trades.
Big man Towns, who has struggled to find his form under Brown, was singled out with boos twice in the fourth quarter, per Popper — once when checking out with just under five minutes remaining, and again 29 seconds later when he checked back in for Mitchell Robinson, who picked up two quick fouls.
Towns said he understood the fans’ reaction, considering the Knicks “didn’t really have a chance” to win, as Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press relays.
“Fans are doing their part and we’ve got to do our part,” Towns said.
According to Popper, “whispers” have begun to circulate around the league about the possibility of the Knicks trading Towns, whose name popped up in rumors over the summer involving the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. League sources tell Popper the Knicks have discussed potential Towns deals with multiple teams, including the Grizzlies, Magic and Hornets.
For what it’s worth, Bondy proposes a fake trade that would send Towns and unspecified salary filler to the Trail Blazers for Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant.