One of the main reasons the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown was that he was about to become eligible for a two-year supermax extension that the team didn’t feel comfortable giving. Rather than let things play out and get uncomfortable, Brad Stevens chose to get out in front of the situation and deal him away before things reached a point of no return.
We’re now seeing exactly what that could have looked like with the defending champs, as Karl-Anthony Towns has been eligible to sign an extension with the Knicks all summer. But as training camp is almost set to get underway, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that no deal is expected, and KAT will enter the final guaranteed year of his current deal.
Towns is obviously a massive part of the defending champs and an All-NBA player, but the four-year, $276 million extension he’s eligible for is extremely daunting in this apron era. As Shams pointed out, owner James Dolan has stated that the team won’t be going into the second apron, but as currently constructed, that’s inevitable next season barring some major changes to the core of the team.
That leaves the Knicks and all of their feel-good vibes in a very awkward spot, as their second-best player could be headed for free agency next summer. This is the exact kind of situation the Celtics wanted to avoid, and with the current CBA, it has become increasingly tough to justify paying top dollar for players who are stars but not in the top tier.
Second apron may force Knicks to break up their core next summer
That was the issue with Jaylen Brown, and it’s quickly becoming an issue with Towns as well. The Knicks could still work out a deal, but that would likely mean gutting their depth next year or trading away another key piece like OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, or Mikal Bridges. There’s also always the chance that KAT will take a hometown discount, but based on Shams’ reporting, it doesn’t sound like that’s something he’s considering at the moment.
This is both the problem and the brilliance of the current CBA. It makes it incredibly difficult for good teams to stay together. That’s partly by design to create parity and punish teams for handing out bad contracts, but it also forces some very difficult decisions and can lead to beloved teams splitting up.
We just watched it happen with Brown and Tatum, and it seems like the Knicks team that was just on top of the world may be facing serious questions about their longevity and future before the champagne is even dry.
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