New York Knicks Wanted Walker Kessler Trade Before Karl-Anthony Towns Deal, NBA Insider Reveals

Karl-Anthony Towns was acquired by the New York Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster trade that rocked the NBA scene during a largely dull offseason, in part because of the new CBA, which restricted teams’ methods of roster building. Nevertheless, this deal is significant not just because of the names involved but also because it has the potential to change the Eastern Conference’s power dynamics.

However, the Towns trade may not have happened had the Knicks landed Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz instead. The Knicks’ frontcourt depth was reduced when Isaiah Hartenstein signed a free agent contract to play with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“New York made multiple trade runs at Utah’s Walker Kessler to fill its well-chronicled void at center,” NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote on The Stein Line, citing league sources. “It is believed that Utah wanted at least two future first-round picks for Kessler… after the Knicks had exhausted much of their remaining cache of draft picks in the trade with Brooklyn for [Miles] Bridges.”

There’s an unwritten rule in player trades: always trade for talent, and KAT can provide the Knicks with a ton of skill and upside. For example, he is still among the league’s top big men when it comes to shooting.

Jalen Brunson will have more space to work with thanks to his shooting, whether he is driving and kicking Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, or even Towns himself. Furthermore, Tom Thibodeau, the coach, can use Mitchell Robinson and Towns together without giving up much on offense or clogging the paint. Josh Hart and Robinson can still crash the boards and maintain ball movement.

However, given Robinson’s history of injuries, they would most likely start KAT at center and move him off the bench. He might be better off playing 20–25 minutes a night at this point, filling in for Towns when he sits down or they need more frontcourt defense. In any case, coaches would usually stick to the eight- or nine-man rotation that got them there in the first place, so depth concerns wouldn’t matter in the playoffs.

ALSO READ: Reason Behind Karl-Anthony Towns’ Blockbuster Trade Revealed by NBA Insider