It makes sense that the New York Knicks are no longer linked to every big name who might be available on the trade market. They’ve already made their splashy moves. After acquiring OG Anunoby last season, then trading for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in two separate offseason blockbusters, the Knicks’ core appears to be in place. Leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, the question is if they can meaningfully improve the supporting cast.
What do the Knicks need?
Simple: Depth and defense. Bridges, Josh Hart, Anunoby and Jalen Brunson rank first, second, third and fifth, respectively, in total minutes played this season. New York could use some reinforcements, and, despite its 31-16 record, it specifically could use some two-way bench players. Against the league’s best, New York’s vastly improved offense has generally held up, but, before blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday — perhaps the team’s best performance of the season — it had allowed 125 points per 100 possessions against the NBA’s top 10 teams by point differential, the second-worst mark in the league, per Cleaning The Glass.
What can the Knicks trade?
Unlike recent years, New York is not flush with draft picks and young players on tradable contracts. The front office cashed in most of its chips to acquire Anunoby, Bridges and Towns.
The good news: The Knicks still have eight second-round picks at their disposal, and second-round picks can be used to acquire rotation players. In the last six weeks, Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nick Richards have been traded without a first-rounder changing hands.
New York can’t trade a first-rounder outright, and they gave the Brooklyn Nets a 2028 pick swap in the Bridges deal. It could conceivably still swap its pick in 2026 and/or 2030, though, and the latter could have a bit of value.
The most interesting player here is Mitchell Robinson, who has spent the past eight months working his way back from ankle surgery. Robinson is making $14.3 million this season and $13 million next season, but if he’s not traded, he could function as a de facto midseason acquisition. Miles McBride surely has trade value because he’s wildly underpaid ($4.7 million this season, $4.3 million next, $4 million in 2026-27), but it’s hard to see New York moving its most reliable reserve. Precious Achiuwa’s $6 million expiring contract makes him a logical trade candidate, and the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy reported in mid-January that the front office was shopping Jericho Sims.
Who could the Knicks target?
How about Cody Martin? The Charlotte Hornets wing is making $8.1 million this season and $8.7 million in 2025-26. His poor spot-up shooting is a concern, but his presence would allow Thibodeau to cut the other wings’ minutes. Martin can’t be swapped for Achiuwa straight up, as New York is hard-capped at the second apron and about $580,000 below it, but if a third team is involved, the Knicks could theoretically get this done without trading Robinson.
I like the idea of Jakob Poeltl as a Knick, as he can do a reasonable Isaiah Hartenstein impression. The problem is that his contract ($19.5 million this year, $19.5 million next year, $19.5 million player option in 2026-27) makes him a tricky player to acquire. New York would have to send both Robinson and Achiuwa to the Toronto Raptors, which would limit its ability to make immediate upgrades elsewhere. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this is a luxury-tax team, and it is projected to pay the tax again next year.
The Philadelphia 76ers don’t appear to be sellers right now, but what if Joel Embiid suffers another setback? In the event that the Sixers decide to punt the rest of the season, the Knicks should make calls about Guerschon Yabusele and Kelly Oubre Jr., at the very least. Yabusele is on a $2.1 million expiring contract; Oubre is making $8 million and has an $8.4 million player option next season.
The Atlanta Hawks’ Larry Nance Jr. would be a nice fit and is on an expiring contract, but his $11.2 million salary isn’t ideal. The Chicago Bulls’ Torrey Craig is cheap ($2.9 million, expiring) but has been out with an ankle sprain for weeks and, even after shooting 39.5% from 3-point range with the Phoenix Suns a couple of years ago, opponents dared him to shoot in the playoffs.
One other thought: With GG Jackson back and Vince Williams Jr. getting closer to a return, could the Grizzlies trade Jake LaRavia? The 23-year-old forward has quietly had a solid season, by far the most efficient of his career, but the team declined his fourth-year option, so he will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
What about the buyout market?
This could come into play, but there are restrictions: Since New York is over the first apron, it cannot sign a player who was making $12.8 million or more before he was waived.
It also cannot go over the second apron under any circumstances. Technically, the Knicks could use their $5.2 million taxpayer midlevel to sign a buyout guy to more than a minimum contract, provided that said buyout guy was making less than $12.8 million on his former team … but only if doing so would not push them above the second apron. (Again, at the moment, they are about $580,000 below the second apron, but a trade could change that.)
I don’t know if the Los Angeles Clippers will end up buying out P.J. Tucker, who has been away from the team all season. I feel like Tucker and Tom Thibodeau would get along, though.
What’s up with Robinson?
After a game last week, he announced in the locker room that he was down to 265 pounds, per the New York Post. Robinson, who turns 27 in April, might simply be a better, more valuable player than anyone New York could realistically add in a trade. When he was healthy at the beginning of last season, he was the most dominant rebounder in the NBA, and he was playing the most disciplined defense of his career, too.
If the Knicks are confident that Robinson can get to that level relatively soon, they would be foolish to trade him. At his best, he is not just an imposing shot-blocker but a mobile and active pick-and-roll defender. He gets deflections, he deters shots around the rim and, on the offensive end, he’s both a lob threat and a source of extra possessions. New York does not have a big man quite like him.
Assuming that he can return to form and stay on the court, Here’s the worst-case scenario: The dual-big lineups with Towns at the 4 don’t work like the Knicks hoped, but Robinson demonstrates that he’s still a force on the interior and they trade him in the offseason when his value is higher. Not that bad!
Don’t forget, though, that Robinson’s initial ankle surgery took place in December 2023. He returned in late March, but sprained his ankle in the first round of the playoffs had a second surgery in May. Is New York going to count on him being available and being the best version of himself?
Robinson is expected to be back in uniform in February, but not before the deadline. Without seeing him play, it is not obvious what the Knicks’ plan should be. The front office will have to take into account what they know about Robinson’s health, what offers are on the table for him and how they feel about Achiuwa (as well as the offers on the table for Achiuwa). Given that the franchise is clearly in win-now mode, this is a relatively high-stakes decision.
Don’t be surprised, though, if New York decides that keeping Robinson gives the team a higher ceiling than trading him. If healthy, he can make the Knicks bigger and tougher and allow Thibodeau to throw some truly terrifying defensive lineups out there. To give up on that, the front office would have to be pretty excited about what it is getting in return.
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