NBA Rumor: James Dolan’s Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Reportedly Angered Adam Silver & Co, Amid GMs’ Frustrations

Well, the Karl-Anthony Towns trade has shaken up the entire NBA. Even the league office! With the Collective Bargaining Agreement bringing the new tier system into effect, it has been extremely difficult for teams to make big trades due to the restrictions. But the Knicks somehow managed to find a major loophole in the CBA and utilized it to pull off the KAT trade. And Adam Silver and Co. are not too thrilled by the Knicks’ genius move.

Had the Knicks and Timberwolves gone for a two-team trade sending KAT to New York and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota, the deal would have violated the CBA and been deemed illegal. That’s because the Knicks are a first apron team and as per the new clause, they cannot aggregate salaries and take in more money than they are sending out in trades. And that’s why the Hornets’ role becomes so crucial in this deal.

As per veteran insider Trevor Lane, “What the Knicks had to do was that they had to sign three players that they had rights to but three players who were not on their team in Daquan Jeffries, Charlie Brown Jr., and Duante Washington Jr. in order to facilitate the trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves.” Yes, Dolan went the extra mile by first signing these role players and then trading them to the Hornets just so the Knicks could bypass the salary clause in the CBA. But it wasn’t that simple.

Due to the new rules, first apron teams are no longer allowed to aggregate minimum contract players in exchange for a bigger salary. So, the Knicks pulled off another genius move to find a loophole as Fred Katz reported, “In the sign and trades of Jeffries, Brown and Washington, they are paying each of those guys just $1 above the minimum.” Yes, merely a dollar hike in salary helped the Knicks crack the CBA. And as per Katz, the league “isn’t thrilled” about the Knicks finding a way around the rule that they just implemented. But the loophole might be a boon for other GMs in the league.

Adam Silver and Co. could “Restructure” the CBA amid Knicks’ genius move and GMs’ frustration

Now that the Knicks have shown the entire league how to bypass the tier system in trades, there might be more teams attempting it in the future. According to Trevor Lane, “Lot of GMs we’re starting to hear from around the league, a lot of GMs are complaining about the new CBA, how difficult it’s made trading.” Obviously, with the new rules, its nearly impossible for teams to build a dynasty as players usually demand a salary hike after winning a title and that puts teams in tax penalties, restricting them from adding new players in trades or keeping their championship calibre roster intact.

But more GMs could use the sign and trade method like the Knicks to facilitate a blockbuster trade. And Lane credited the Knicks for finding a loophole in the CBA because that’s what teams are supposed to do. Moreover, he believes that Adam Silver and Co. might consider a big change in the future due to executives’ recent frustration, “I don’t think we’re there just yet, but I do wonder if in the near future, we’re talking about restructuring the CBA or putting an addendum onto it in order to fix some of these issues.” Do you think a change is required in the CBA following James Dolan’s brilliance in the KAT trade?