Carmelo Anthony Reacts to Knicks Pausing Karl-Anthony Towns Contract Talks Ahead of New NBA Season

Carmelo Anthony reacted to the news that the New York Knicks were halting contract talks with Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

"So, it was smart to dead the conversation," he said on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast (1:22:23 mark). "Now, how you deaded the conversation is the problem. I can't find out on Twitter, if that's what happened."

When told that Towns said that the end of the talks were " news to me " and that he was "disappointed," Anthony continued.

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"So if that's the case then that's a communication thing right there," he noted. "[The Knicks] dropped the ball on that one for one. You don't let that get outside. So again, I don't know that. The only thing I'm saying is you don't break up the family. That's all I'm going to say. You don't break up the family."

Towns, 30, is eligible for an extension worth up to $276 million but the Knicks reportedly have offered him a deal worth $200 million over four seasons as they attempt to avoid the second apron. With Towns clearly turning down that extension, the Knicks have ended the talks until after the season.

It's a bit of a gambit. Towns has a $61 million player option he could choose to turn down in the summer, becoming a free agent, although it would be a hefty chunk of change to turn down.

It's not exactly the storyline most New York fans would have preferred coming off the high of this summer's title. But for the time being, the band is back together, seeking a repeat.