Charles Barkley rips Knicks, calls for Karl-Anthony Towns trade

The Knicks don’t have a believer in Charles Barkley. 

The TNT panelist doubted whether the Knicks were title contenders during the halftime show of Tuesday’s game between New York and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Barkley suggested that the Knicks need to make a move. 

“I think the Knicks need to do something,” Barkley said. “You see how this movie’s going to end.”

The Basketball Hall-of-Famer added that he felt the Cavaliers had a higher ceiling than the Knicks before tearing back into New York. 

“But for me, the Knicks are like, ‘We play hard. We’re solid,” he said. “But they’re not contenders, so if I’m them, I’m like we got to do something. All those draft picks we got, what ‘What are we saving them for?’ Go out and make a move because you gotta say to yourself, ‘We’re not in the conversation with Boston and Milwaukee.’”

That’s when host Ernie Johnson interrupted to ask Barkley who the Knicks should go out and get. 

Barkley quickly replied with Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves. 

Towns is a name that shouldn’t be unfamiliar to Knicks fans, since the team and the big man have been linked to one another before.

Towns has been with the Timberwolves for his entire career and has made three NBA All-Star appearances over nine seasons.

But Minnesota has had very little success during that span, and they’ve made just three playoff appearances — never making it out of the first round. 

The Timberwolves also have Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards, which could make Towns expendable. 

The Knicks are coming off a season last year in which they made the playoffs and then secured their first postseason series victory since 2013. 

Still, Barkley wasn’t buying what the Knicks are selling this year without them making some moves.

“This team here is not going to win anything,” Barkley said. “They beat Cleveland last year, but they’re not a contender and you can’t be mediocre and stick with that.” 

The Knicks did beat Cleveland on Tuesday night, 109-91. 

Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle each had 19 points, while Immanuel Quickly chipped in 18 of his own.