“No s—, Sherlock. I just won a championship. You’d think it was pretty easy.” During the preseason, Karl-Anthony Towns thought an extension would be an easy step after ending the title drought after 53 years. But the New York Knicks stopped all extension talks to focus on basketball. After another extraordinary start to the season, KAT’s long-term future in New York remains uncertain.

On Friday, after dropping another game, the Knicks are 6-6 this season. But Towns delivered with 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and three steals. That was his 12th double-double of the season. In fact, KAT has now surpassed Willis Reed (1970-71) for the longest double-double streak to start a season in franchise history. All this while, he remains without a new extension. That’s why Ian Begley called the extension talks ‘tricky things.’

“The tricky thing though with the extension, and we’ve talked about this, you know, preseason is if you get into that January territory and there’s no extension agreed to, what do you do for the Knicks? If you’re the Knicks, I think you have to at least know the trade scenarios out there for Karl Towns,” Begley said on SNY’s The Putback.

“Know what you could potentially be getting back and do your homework on that because in that scenario, no extension into January, you know, then Karl-Anthony Towns could be a free agent this coming off-season, and that’s not a place you want to be if you’re the Knicks.”

Now, time and again, Karl-Anthony Towns has spoken about sacrificing for the team. Even KAT knows he won’t be paid the max deal.

Previous reports suggested that the deal offered was around a $200 million extension.

“As The Post reported, the Knicks offered Towns a deal worth four years and about $200 million, which is $77 million less than his max,” Bondy reported. “It would also be a pay cut from his current salary of $57 million.”

Begley also previously noted that Karl-Anthony Towns could command more than Jalen Duren’s 5-year, $200 million contract.

“I was talking to another executive, and he said, ‘Look, their offer – around $200M for four years – that offer is what Jalen Duren is getting.’ He pointed out that you cannot ask him to take what Jalen Duren is making,” an anonymous executive told Begley. “It just doesn’t make sense. Two sides to the coin.”

Another reason the extension for Karl-Anthony Towns is tricky is that his teammates are also in line to receive larger sums. Josh Hart also became eligible for a 4-year, $132 million extension. Analysts predict him to command $23.3 million to $26.7 million per year in his new contract. Then Jalen Brunson will become extension-eligible next year.

So if the Knicks don’t find a middle ground with Karl-Anthony Towns, the center could be traded despite his historic start.

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