There's no question that the Hornets are a team on the rise, but the best chance for them to speed up their rebuild is to bring in established veterans.
You hear the chatter, and you hear the excitement surrounding the Charlotte Hornets.
What if I told you there was an opportunity for the Hornets to add a five-time All Star?
Early reports are coming out of Manhattan that the New York Knicks are starting to gauge interest regarding combo big-man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Steve Popper out of Newsday reported that the Knicks have held several conversations with multiple teams around Towns, and the Hornets are among them.
Charlotte being interested in an All Star big man is hardly news, as there were reports coming out last month that it was highly interested in Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.
Towns being the center of trade discussion may come off as a surprise given how critical he was to the Knicks’ success in the 2024-25 season and helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
But a lot can change in a matter of months.
Since then, the Knicks let go of longtime coach Tom Thibodeau after the Indiana Pacers eliminated them from the Playoffs and hired Mike Brown.
However, the Brown experience on Broadway isn’t working out as well as Knicks fans had hoped.
New York had picked up right where it left off to begin the 2025-26 season, with a 13-6 record and winning the NBA Cup. But this recent 10-game stretch has been abhorrent for the Knicks, going 2-8, along with a pair of three-game losing streaks.
As for the vibes amongst fans? Listen for yourself.
So it makes sense as to why the Knicks are looking for any avenue to improve, even if it means trading one of your best players.
For Charlotte, albeit these discussions being very preliminary, adding Towns would be an instant upgrade.
Throughout his career, Towns has averaged 22 points and 12 rebounds in over 680 games played, and carries a boatload of playoff experience in the past four seasons.
Of course, this means that Charlotte would have to give New York quite a bit.
When the Knicks traded for Towns prior to the 2024-25 season (which ironically was a three-team deal that included Charlotte), they traded away Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, a first-round pick, and a pair of second-round picks.
One has to believe that the Knicks would want a big man in return, with one of Moussa Diabate or Ryan Kalkbrenner getting shipped out. It would also require at least a pair of first-round picks.
Because Towns is such a big name, fans will naturally look for a headline-grabbing return.
That said, LaMelo Ball is not a realistic part of this conversation.
Given that New York is already set at guard, any scenario involving Ball would require a complete roster reset rather than a move centered around Towns.
Not only that, reports have confirmed that Ball is staying put in the Queen City for the duration of the year, and then it’ll reconvene afterwards.
One thing is for certain though, adding Towns to this roster would be critical to the playoff push that Charlotte yearns for.
And adding a five-time All Star with playoff experience and potentially a future Hall of Famer? General Manager Jeff Peterson has a real opportunity to extend the Hornets’ ceiling.
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