Karl-Anthony Towns Has 'Hard Feelings' Toward Knicks Over Giannis Talks

The New York Knicks had an opportunity to deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo this past summer. The Greek Freak told the Bucks he wanted to be traded to the Knicks. New York put center Karl-Anthony Towns into an offer, but the Bucks weren't interested in the overall package.

We are now learning that this precipitated some bad feelings for Towns against the Knicks… Feelings that are still present.

Karl-Anthony Towns still has hard feelings toward the Knicks to this day due to Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, per @sam_amick

“Just ask the Knicks, whose talks with the Bucks about Antetokounmpo last summer led to hard feelings with Karl-Anthony Towns that, per team… pic.twitter.com/OTDhaunuGA
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 29, 2026

Sam Amick wrote in The Athletic about the situation, as the Knicks prepare once again to try to make an offer that will bring Giannis to Broadway.

“Just ask the Knicks, whose talks with the Bucks about Antetokounmpo last summer led to hard feelings with Karl-Anthony Towns that, per team sources, remain to this day. That’s the double-doozy that every team seeks to avoid — the failure to land the player they’re pursuing that is followed by a step backward, relationship-wise, with the player who learned he was nearly sent packing in the process.”

Has Towns been affected by Giannis trade talk?

KAT's performance this season has taken a step back, indicating it may have had an effect on his game. He's shooting a career-low 46.2% from the field, and 36.1% from long range. He's averaging 20.2 points per game, a 10-year low (he is, however, leading the NBA at 11.6 rebounds per game).

Yes, he said on Wednesday that the trade talks don't affect him.

“I feel like I’ve been in trade rumors a lot for a lot of times, for a year damn near. That don’t matter to me,” said Towns. “I don’t look at social media or none of that stuff. I focus on the job on hand which is trying to get wins every single night. As long as I do that, I do my job, I go home happy and I feel accomplished. I’m not worried about what anybody got to say or people write or anything like that.”

The Knicks will be one of the leading contenders to pull off a deal to win the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. Towns will quite possibly be involved.