The Karl-Anthony Towns trade confirms the Knicks are copying the Celtics

Last summer was a wild one for the Boston Celtics. After losing to the Miami Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, Boston made some major shake-ups. First, they traded for Kristaps Porzingis, parting ways with long-time Celtic Marcus Smart. Then, right before the start of training camp, they pulled off a deal for Jrue Holiday.

Fast forward to now, and the New York Knicks are having themselves a big-time summer of their own. They made a massive trade for Mikal Bridges, shipping out a hoard of first-round picks. Then, right before the start of training camp, they shocked the NBA by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns.

Fresh off the heels of a disappointing Game 7 loss in the postseason, New York spent the summer wheeling and dealing, landing one star player early in the offseason and one right before training camp.

Sound familiar?

The Knicks are being Celtics copyKATs

The Knicks are having a nearly identical summer to the one the Celtics had last offseason. They even inked Jalen Brunson to a contract extension. Boston handed a Jaylen (Brown) an extension last summer, too!

Obviously, Bridges has never been an All-Star in the NBA, but he plays at that level. Towns is a four-time All-Star, so he certainly qualifies as being in the same tier as guys like Holiday and Porzingis (at least on paper).

Losing in seven games to the Indiana Pacers wasn’t exactly the same for the Knicks as the Celtics losing in seven to the Heat. Boston came back from down 3-0, and New York was fighting through a ton of injuries. But the outcome was the same—a loss in a Game 7.

Obviously, the Celtics’ 2023 offseason paid off in a big way, as their season ended in a championship. The Knicks are fighting to accomplish that same goal, and they are heading into the season preaching similar ideals.

“If you want to be a really good, [a] great, team, everybody has to sacrifice,” Bridges said at Knicks Media Day. “…Obviously, if you want to be one of the best teams everybody has to be dialed in,”

This is the exact mindset that the Celtics took on throughout the 2023-24 NBA season. With five star players in the starting lineup, plus Al Horford, they put their egos to the side in pursuit of a title. And it worked.

Now, New York is hoping their star players can do the same thing.

The biggest difference between the 2023 Celtics offseason and the 2024 Knicks offseason is the success. Boston made their moves to build off a near-decade of conference finals appearance. New York made theirs after two appearances in the second round.

We’ll see what happens from here on out.