Karl-Anthony Towns says the decision to pause his extension talks came as news to him, a detail that stings more than the pause itself. The Knicks, 0-2 in preseason, host Minnesota tonight before three more tune-up games ahead of the October 20 opener.
News To Him
The New York Post reported Towns called the shutdown "news to me," on top of saying he was "very disappointed" by how it went down. The front office tabled his extension talks on October 9; Josh Hart reacted a day later. What's new here isn't the pause, it's the method: Towns describes hearing about a decision, not being walked through one.
Minnesota Tonight
The Timberwolves roll in on the back end of a brutal week: four straight true road games and three outings in the last seven days, against a Knicks team with three days of rest and no back-to-back in sight. Edwards, Gobert, Ball, McDaniels and Dosunmu each carry a day-to-day tag for rest. Donte DiVincenzo remains out as he works back from a right Achilles injury.
0-2 And Counting
New York has dropped both preseason games, 97-120 at Philadelphia and 109-111 to Washington at home. The one number holding steady through the losses: Brunson has strung together three straight 30-point outings, averaging 37.7 over that stretch — proof the engine still runs even when the record doesn't.
Books Still Loaded
This roster costs $227.7 million, well into luxury-tax territory, with Towns' $57.1 million and Anunoby's $42.5 million the two biggest numbers behind Brunson's own $37.7 million deal. That's why every contract conversation this fall carries weight — there isn't much room left to fix a problem once the games start counting.
Bottom Line
Pausing talks with your starting center, on a roster already this expensive, reads as either patience or a signal. The Knicks haven't said which, and with James Wiseman, Tony Bradley and Andre Drummond all stacked behind Towns on the depth chart, how he responds the rest of this fall is the preseason's biggest story.
Is Karl-Anthony Towns getting a contract extension from the Knicks?
Not right now. The two sides paused extension talks on October 9, and Towns has said the decision came as news to him.
When do the Knicks play after tonight's game against Minnesota?
They play at Toronto on October 13, host the Raptors again on October 15, and open the regular season October 20 against Philadelphia.
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