Knicks' Complete 2023 NBA Trade Deadline Preview, Predictions
The New York Knicks are looking a little wobbly ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Tuesday's overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was their sixth defeat in their last eight games. If ever there was a time to bring roster reinforcements to the Big Apple, this might be it.
Still, the front office has a few things to figure out before any wheeling and dealing goes down. What is this club capable of in its current form? How much would a trade or two realistically change that outlook? Are our picks and prospects more valuable to us or on the trade market?
Those debates will loom large over the organization, since an external assessment of this squad sees arguments for both buying and selling.
Let's clear up some of the confusion by diving deep into where the Knicks stand before the deadline and predicting how their trade season will play out.
Trade Assets
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There are teams with better quality picks and prospects, but few can match New York's quantity in both.
Now, maybe that's an argument for staying patient and giving this core more time to develop, but if the Knicks want to do something big at the deadline, they have the trade chips to pull it off.
They have all of their own first-round picks plus protected firsts from the Dallas Mavericks (2023, top-10 protected), Detroit Pistons (2023, top-18 protected), Washington Wizards (2023, lottery protected) and Milwaukee Bucks (2025, top-four protected). They also have 10 second-rounders at their disposal.
On the prospect front, Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes and Immanuel Quickley are the best they can offer. It's possible the right team still sees upside in 23-year-old Cam Reddish, too, although with restricted free agency awaiting him, that team better be prepared to pay him this summer.
Team Needs
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The Knicks are not a good shooting team—like, at all.
Their shooters are most accurate from the foul line, where New York shoots 77.5 percent. For context, that's only good enough for 19th in the league.
Again, though, that's the best mark produced by this bunch. Otherwise, it sits just 25th in accuracy from both the field (45.8 percent) and from distance (34.2).
Beyond that, they need more perimeter depth, particularly players who contribute at both ends. New York had the league's fourth-best defense two seasons back, but it slipped to 11th last season and has since fallen out of the top half and into 17th place, per NBA.com.
Deadline Predictions
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The Knicks haven't made a ton of in-season trades lately, but it's time to buck that trend.
In fact, our crystal ball sees multiple swaps in their near future.
The headliner will be luring O.G. Anunoby away from the Toronto Raptors. He's a lockdown defender who has shown perpetual improvement on the offensive end.
The 25-year-old won't come cheap, but that apparently hasn't scared off the Knicks. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, "New York has shown a willingness to offer multiple first-round picks for Anunoby."
A deal centered around two firsts, Toppin and Evan Fournier should get it done.
Elsewhere, look for the Knicks to address their shooting deficiency in a Reddish deal that brings back either Grayson Allen or Jae Crowder.
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