New York Knicks great Carmelo Anthony has backed the club's decision to pause contract extension talks with Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart so they can focus fully on defending their NBA title. Towns is eligible for a four-year, $276 million deal. He is due to earn $57 million this season and holds a $61.1 million player option for 2027-28. The big man said the club's announcement had come as a surprise, while Hart, who will earn $21 million this year, has spoken about the changes that could come around the trade deadline.
"I think it was big for them to stop the conversations, and just, we'll get to that. We'll get to that at the end of the season," said Anthony, a former client of Leon Rose, now the Knicks president. "Let the be all, be the be all, which is basketball. Let's go defend this championship. And I think both parties understand," he added. It is in that spirit that the reigning NBA champions are preparing to defend their crown this season.
