Knicks Nightly
More
The Garden Line · Around the beat

Media Digs Into Towns' Price While Knicks Thin The Roster

Outlets dig into Towns' next deal and a thinning roster while a league survey doubts the champs

$227.7MPayroll above the second apron
By the Knicks Nightly Desk · Friday, October 16

New York Post reporting on Karl-Anthony Towns' next contract collided this week with news that the Knicks' bench just got smaller, while a league survey found rival executives still skeptical of the champs. All three threads trace back to decisions Knicks management has yet to make public before the schedule turns real on October 20.

Knicks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Roster Thins Fast

Drew Eubanks is gone, waived by the Knicks after Hoops Rumors reported he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Ochai Agbaji and Tony Bradley left in the same round of cuts, also confirmed by Hoops Rumors. The New York Post wrote that the roster battle thins with Eubanks out and reported that just two players remain in the fight for the last open spot. Posting and Toasting's bulletin said New York plans to keep exploring other moves into next week. None of it comes cheap: the books sit at $227.7 million, above the league's second apron, which limits what the Knicks can still add.

Towns' Price Gets Scrutiny

Towns' line against Toronto, 13 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, drew its own headline, with the New York Post writing he doesn't miss a beat since the Knicks paused his contract talk. A separate Post piece dug into the number itself, framed around where Knicks negotiations go from here. Hoops Rumors folded Towns into a wider rumor roundup from Brian Windhorst that also touched Seattle and Orlando, not a report that New York is shopping him, just proof he's a name other teams are tracking.

Skeptics Line Up

The New York Post's Stefan Bondy reported a league survey still finds plenty of repeat doubters despite the banner. Columnist Mike Vaccaro countered that the East is a gauntlet these Knicks are built to survive, and Howie Kussoy graded the repeat quest against the rest of the conference. The facts lean toward the swagger: a 53-29 season, a top-three offense, and a title that ended a 53-year wait. Two preseason losses and Thursday's comeback over Toronto won't settle it either way; the schedule turns real on October 20 against Philadelphia.

Bottom Line

Every thread the beat is pulling right now, a contract number, a final roster spot, a credibility question, comes back to calls Knicks management hasn't made yet. The transactions are done. The rest is still speculation wearing a byline.

Why did the Knicks waive Drew Eubanks, Ochai Agbaji and Tony Bradley?

Eubanks was cut after suffering a torn pectoral muscle. Agbaji and Bradley were let go in the same round of roster moves, with no injury reported for either.

Are the Knicks trying to trade Karl-Anthony Towns?

No report says that. Hoops Rumors only listed him in a broader rumor roundup touching Seattle and Orlando, not a trade report tied to New York.

By the Knicks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

More from The Garden Line

all Knicks news →