Knicks' Karl-Anthony Towns isn't happy with how contract extension talks are going

PHILADELPHIA — The first preseason game in the Knicks hopes of repeating as NBA champions was still hours away when Karl-Anthony Towns came off the floor at the morning shootaround and made it clear that there is a game he doesn’t want to play — negotiating his value after winning the title.

Towns, who is eligible for a contract extension with a player option for the 2027-28 season allowing him the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, has openly expressed frustration with the process between the Knicks and his representatives.

With the team already losing Mitchell Robinson over the desires of Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan to remain under the second apron of the salary cap, Towns has been wiling to take less than the four-year, $277 million extension he’s eligible for — and has earned — but remains far apart from what the Knicks are offering.

“Yeah, I mean, simply put, I want to do something that can keep the team together, and that can work with the Knicks and also values me,” Towns said in the corridors just off the court at Infinity Mobile Arena. “And, I mean, none of those things have come close to happening.”

While Towns has not put a deadline on the talks, when asked if he believed that an agreement could come before the start of the season, he said, “It don’t look good.”

He paused and asked the reporters, “I just won a championship; you thought it would be pretty easy. Unless you guys think I got anything else to prove.”

Towns has worked to fit in alongside Jalen Brunson since his arrival two years ago and became a key part of the Knicks postseason success last season — a role that the team has already indicated will be utilized even more this season, putting the ball in his hands and orchestrating much of the offense through him.

Brunson set a tone for the franchise when he took the four-year, $156 million extension two years ago, allowing the team flexibility rather than waiting until the following summer when he could have landed a five-year, $269 million extension. OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges took slightly under the maximum with their new deals, but now it is Towns on the clock and the frustration has been evident.

Asked how he’s handling it, he said, “Best as anyone could.” But he added, “I mean, you just, in my experience, you just appreciate the moments right now, and just let it go where it goes.”

The inability to find common ground with one of the key pieces — the team reportedly seeking to give him a deal worth approximately $50 million per year over four years rather than the nearly $70 million he could get has left them far apart. It’s not just Towns either with Josh Hart and Deuce McBride also up for contract extensions. And it has cast a pall over the start to the season with the rebuilt Sixers awaiting them.

Knicks coach Mike Brown said that there has been no indication of Towns’ frustration on the court.

“I mean, he's been great, man,” Brown said. “He was in great shape coming to camp. We have a conditioning test, and he passed it the first time. He looks good on the floor. I moved him around from the center spot to different spots on the floor, and he looks like he has a pretty good feel for it, and so I truly love the way that he's been practicing and how in tune and how in shape he is, and how he's helping the new guys out, too, because he's got a good feel for what needs to happen on the floor.”

Towns has been an All-Star in both of his seasons in New York after coming in a trade from Minnesota, where he spent the first nine seasons of his career. He averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game during the regular season last year, but in the postseason while the numbers dipped to 15.9 points and 10.8 rebounds, he became a hub of the offense, recording three games with double-figure assists.

On media day a week ago, he said, “I mean, I’ve made it known I want to play here. I’ve been a fan since I was young. So, I would like to get one done, of course. That’s obvious I would like to get it done so I can step on the court and feel comfortable as possible.

“I think in this situation, there is no comfortability to be had, so that’s probably the best answer to that.”

He may have hinted at his frustration with the team’s approach to the second apron that day, too, when he was asked about Robinson’s departure.

“I was very surprised,” Towns said. “I was very surprised that Mitch wasn’t going to be back here with us. I think all of us were. It was a surprise to everybody. I thought something would get done there.”

While the Knicks aren’t the only team carefully navigating the second apron, they are the only team trying to keep the defending championship squad intact. And Towns’ frustration, while willing to take less than the maximum he could get, is clear — that if he’s willing to help the front office keep it together, why are pennies being pinched at the top?

And that’s a good question.

Or as he put it, “No [expletive], Sherlock.”

NOTES & QUOTES: The Knicks played their regular starters in the preseason opener while Philadelphia sat out Joel Embiid, LeBron James and Tyrese Maxey. ... Jose Alvarado (left knee contusion) was the lone Knicks player not available.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.