Trade Idea Lands Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns with Trail Blazers

In his latest Bleacher Report article, Andy Bailey proposes at least one trade for every NBA team. For the Portland Trail Blazers, he went with a big name: Karl-Anthony Towns.

The deal Bailey proposes would send Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle, the Blazer’s No. 11 first-round pick this year and a 2032 first-round pick swap to the New York Knicks, while the Blazers receive Towns and nothing else.

Some of Bailey’s thoughts on the proposed trade:

Anfernee Simons, Toumani Camara and Deni Avdija look ready to push for a playoff spot now, and Towns would help them do that. His outside shooting would widen slashing lanes for all of the above.

And Portland has a defensive culture strong enough to cover for some of Towns’ weaknesses there.

From New York’s perspective, Bailey points to Ayton being more mobile on defense than Towns, a decent finisher, and financial flexibility with Ayton being on an expiring contract. Getting a wing defender in Thybulle and draft compensation are nice things to add on top.

Whether this deal makes sense for the Blazers depends on the goals for the next season and how close you feel the Blazers are to achieving them. Making the playoffs would seem to be the bare minimum. Failing to make the playoffs in 2025-26 would make it five seasons in a row, and if Joe Cronin and Chauncey Billups want to stick around with new owners, missing the playoffs would not be the way to do it. Additionally, at some point the zombie trade with Chicago needs to be fulfilled so the Blazers have more future flexibility with their draft picks, but that trade won’t be completed if Portland misses the playoffs once again.

Joe Cronin needs to answer the question as to whether the Blazers need a big trade in order to ensure that minimum level of success. This trade would seem to put them comfortably over the top, giving Portland a star with some strengths not currently on the team. The Blazers wouldn’t be giving up any of the players that appear to have the most potential for taking it to the next level, so it’s possible to imagine more internal growth on top of what Towns would bring. The cost is in future flexibility. Losing pick No. 11 and offering a future pick swap are part of it, but Towns’ contract might be the bigger issue. He’s scheduled to make $53.14 million next season, $57.08 million in 2026-27, and has a player option for $61.02 million in 2027-28. That is a ton of money to tie up when simply doing nothing would instead see $35.55 million drop off the payroll after next season if Ayton’s contract is allowed to expire.

Interestingly, Bailey also proposes Towns in a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant. Phoenix would receive Towns, Pacome Dadiet and a 2032 first-round pick, giving the Suns a shot at staying relevant by having Towns and Booker both on the payroll.