Karl-Anthony Towns sat alone on the end of the Knicks’ bench Tuesday night while his teammates huddled during a third-quarter stoppage in Houston. The six-time All-Star had just scored 22 points in a 111-94 loss to the Rockets, leading New York in scoring yet again, but his body language told a different story than the box score.
The viral moment captured what has been simmering beneath the surface for months: Towns appears disconnected from a system that hasn’t figured out how to use him. And former NBA guard Jeff Teague isn’t surprised.
Jeff Teague Tells Karl-Anthony Towns to Leave New York
Speaking on the Club 520 Podcast, Teague delivered a blunt message to the Knicks center.
“I got to get the f**k out of here. KAT out of here. I love that for you KAT, yeah. Put your foot down, man,” Teague said. “Thibodeau should have never left. Y’all started that bullsht with Thibodeau.”
Teague’s comments suggest he blames Towns for the front office’s decision to fire Tom Thibodeau last summer, even though the coach led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years. The relationship between Towns and Thibodeau dates back to Minnesota, where the latter coached him from 2016 to 2019.
Jeff Teague says Karl-Anthony Towns needs to get traded out of New York:
“I got to get the fuk out of here. KAT out of here. I love that for you KAT, yeah. Put your foot down, man. Thibodeau should have never left. Y’all started that bullsht with Thibodeau.”
(Via… pic.twitter.com/CgMvxgeZdy
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) April 1, 2026
This isn’t the first time Teague has gone after the situation in New York. Back in January, he said on the same podcast: “No disrespect to Mike Brown, I think he’s a good coach, but people rock with that system. You seen that in Sacramento. They lighting up the beam and all of a sudden, I ain’t fu**ing with this sh*t no more. But KAT ain’t been fu**ing with it since the start. They shouldn’t have let Thibs go.”
He even floated trading Towns for Bam Adebayo earlier this season, arguing that if the Knicks won’t feed their center, they should get a defensive-minded big who can facilitate instead.
Towns Has Voiced His Frustration All Season
Towns hasn’t exactly hidden his discomfort. The complaints started in December, when he first addressed the adjustment to Brown’s scheme.
“It’s just a different place I’m in in our system. Totally different system,” Towns said. “So when I’m 5 or I’m 4, it’s a totally different script for me in the game. Trying to impact winning as much as possible.”
Then, after a brutal six-point outing in a blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons in early January, Towns was more direct.
“Different system. It’s just different,” he said. “Biggest adjustment is for me. Like Mike said, I make the biggest sacrifice.”
And before Sunday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Towns made his most candid admission yet.
“I’m still working through it,” he told NBC’s Zora Stephenson. “I’m still trying to figure out where I can impact our team and winning the most.”
That’s a jarring statement 75 games into the season.
Towns’ statistical decline has also been striking. Last season under Thibodeau, Towns averaged 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the field. This season under Brown, he’s at 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds on a career-low 13.9 field goal attempts per game. Towns failed to reach double figures in scoring just once in 72 games last year. Under Brown, it’s happened four times already.
New York currently sits third in the Eastern Conference at 48-28, having clinched a playoff berth when Philadelphia lost to Miami on Monday. They trail the Celtics by 2.5 games and hold a one-game lead over Cleveland for the third seed.
But a three-game losing streak heading into Wednesday’s matchup against Memphis has put the team’s chemistry under a microscope at the worst possible time.
