Knicks Among Betting Favorites To Land $213 Million Ex-MVP

Getty Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks walks on the court for player introductions at Madison Square Garden on October 25, 2024 in New York City.

The NBA world was rocked by the news of dissension in the Philadelphia 76ers locker room on November 19. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey called out Joel Embiid for his tardiness, blaming the former MVP’s attitude for the team’s 2-11 start to the 2024-25 season.

The report sparked rumors of the 76ers potentially trading Embiid, especially due to his injury history. In light of those rumors, oddsmakers in Las Vegas began placing bets on the team that would pull off the blockbuster trade. As per Bovada, the Indiana Pacers (+200) emerged the favorites to land Embiid as of November 20, with the New York Knicks (+300) a close second to trade for the two-time NBA scoring champion.

A potential Knicks trade for Embiid would likely force the franchise to cut bait with All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, whom they acquire in the 2024 offseason for a large haul including All-Star forward Julius Randle and sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo.

Should Knicks Trade Towns?

Through the first 13 games of the 2024-25 season, Towns averaged 26.2 points — his highest production since the 2019-20 season — while shooting career-highs from both the field (54%) and three (51%). Yet, the former Timberwolves big man had struggled to fit into Tom Thibodeau’s defensive-minded system due to his inability to protect the rim, especially in drop coverage on pick-and-rolls.

According to NBA.com stats, Towns was contesting only 5.5 two-point shots per game, which ranked 20th in the league among centers. To make matters worse, he was allowing his one-on-one matchups to shoot at an alarming 54.1 percent from the floor. Towns had allowed matchups such as Alperen Sengun (7-of-8), Nikola Vucevic (5-of-7), Evan Mobley (3-of-4) and Myles Turner (7-of-13) to have their way against him at the rim.

Towns’ inability to protect the rim was the reason the Knicks ranked a paltry 21st in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing teams to score 115.3 points per 100 possessions. In comparison, the Knicks were a respectable ninth in the metric in the 2023-24 season.

Is Joel Embiid Worth the Risk?

It’s rather obvious that Joel Embiid, one of the best rim protectors in the league, would be a better fit on the defensive end for the Knicks. However, is he really worth the risk?

ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins made the bold proclamation on November 19 that Embiid would likely never return to full fitness at any stage of his career following his meniscus injury in 2024 that forced him to play hobbled in the playoffs.

“He doesn’t look healthy,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “NBA Today” on November 19. “He doesn’t have lift or can’t move in the pick-and-roll. Why do you go out and get Paul George? Because you can’t depend on the health of Joel Embiid. We didn’t know that Tyrese Maxey was also going to go out [with an injury]… End of the day, yes, Joel Embiid needs to play better for Philly to win games, but it would be unfair for us to say Philly should rely heavily on Joel Embiid when our eyes tell us that he can’t move.”

“I don’t expect Joel Embiid to be healthy for the rest of the season,” Perkins added. “I don’t think he’ll be a 100 percent for the rest of his career. There’s something going on there [with his health].”