Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Is Not Enough for Knicks as Dwight Howard Elects This NBA Star for Championship Run

The Knicks had one of the best off seasons with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns landing on the team, but is it enough? Well, if you were to listen to Dwight Howard, there is still more that the New York Knicks can do. And maybe just further boost their chances at a championship. Surprisingly, Howard did not refer to any of the superstars from one of the NBA teams. But rather someone who is an unrestricted agent. As no other team seems to show any major interest in this 3x NBA champ.

Yes, the player in discussion is former Sacramento Kings center JaVale McGee. “If the Knicks add Javale they winning a chip he a 3X champion,” Howard wrote on X. This came as a caption to a clip from his Above The Rim podcast. The post featured D12 making a case that the ex-Kings star deserves to be in the league. And so does he himself. In fact, recently, Dwight Howard himself had playfully approached the Knicks for a position on the team.

“I kept hearing the Knicks need a backup,” D12 wrote on Instagram. But how strong is his claim that the Knicks can win a championship with McGee? Acquiring Towns from the Wolves in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and a first-round pick has indeed boosted team strength. Something that was already being viewed at new heights after the team united Bridges with his Villanova buddies on the roster.

Even with DiVincenzo gone, there are still three left from the same college—talk about high team synergy. But there is also no denying that the team could still use a player who could provide some more juice at the defensive end. And maybe act as the backup center. Although KAT is perfect for the role, he has been playing as a power forward for the last two seasons.

Moreover, Dwight Howard was most likely not pushing for McGee in the starting lineup. But someone who could provide more depth to the roster. Now some may argue that McGee averaged just 4 points in his last season and barely had any contribution on the defensive end. True, but it also came up a low playing time average of 7.4 minutes.

As per an article by Empire Sports Media, if the 3x NBA champ’s time on team is adjusted to approx. 15 mpg, he can contribute 8 points, 5.5 rebounds per game from the bench. “Isaiah Hartenstein showed out for the Knicks last season. And gave them 7.8 points on the campaign, but in 25.3 minutes a night,” read the article. The analogy doesn’t seem to be inaccurate, considering McGee’s 2021-22 NBA season. He played 15.8 mpg in 74 games and averaged 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds per game.

Not the first time that JaVale McGee has been linked to the Knicks?

Back in 2020, it was assumed the then Knicks were looking to acquire draft picks and spend as little as possible to lay down a foundation for the future of the team. The reports stated that the Ed Davis trade for two 2023 second-round picks was based on the same intent. Empire Sports Media stated the Knicks were basically acting as a garbage can for the league at the moment. Only to eventually benefit from it later.

Amid all of this emerged the rumors of Knicks possibly looking to acquire McGee in a trade with the Lakers. He was averaging 1.4 blocks and 5.7 rebounds for the Lakers in 2019-20. But his 6.6 points per game in the season lacked to fulfil the offensive output the team needed from him.

“The Knicks have emerged as a potential trade partner for the Lakers in a JaVale McGee deal, league sources say, as LA explores its various options… If talks progress, New York would surely require at least one additional asset from the Lakers to take McGee into salary-cap space,” Mark Stein wrote on X. But the trade never happened. And despite Dwight Howard’s claim, the chances are thin that the Knicks will show any interest in the 3x NBA champ this time either.

Stay tuned for more updates. Join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host, BG12, sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.