Knicks' Blueprint for 2024 NBA Trade Deadline
The New York Knicks may have finished their NBA trade deadline work early.
This front office could still be active between now and the Feb. 8 cutoff, but there's a good chance it won't do anything more notable than its late December deal for OG Anunoby.
They have enough assets to broker more trades, though, and there are ways to improve this group. Let's build out a three-step blueprint for a successful trade season in Gotham.
1. Scan for Stars
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New York's roster is loaded with solid-or-better contributors, but it isn't exactly swimming in star power. For the Knicks to complete their climb from good to great, that likely must be addressed at some point.
It's certainly possible, though, that time isn't now. The front office doesn't feel the right target will "become available until this summer at the earliest," per The Athletic's Fred Katz.
For now, that looks like the right read of this market. Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray and DeMar DeRozan aren't moving the needle for the Knicks. Not in a way that fast-tracks them toward title contention, at least.
Still, New York needs to keep close watch of this market in case anything changes. The Knicks are otherwise ready to win right now, so the second the right star comes along, they must be ready to pounce. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle are in the heart of their primes, and this team should take advantage of that if at all possible.
2. Snag a Second-Team Shot-Creator
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While the Knicks would make that same Anunoby trade 11 times out of 10, they clearly lost shot-creation and scoring in the exchange. Even if he ups his output to match RJ Barrett's production level, that still leaves the void of Immanuel Quickley, a perennial candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.
Couple that with Donte DiVincenzo's promotion to the first five, and this bench group has lost considerable amounts of playmaking and point production.
The Knicks are trying to counteract this. Per Katz, they are in the market for "an extra ballhandler, someone who can help hold up the offense when Brunson is on the bench or even play alongside him."
If New York makes one more move this trade season, it should be adding someone who can take control of the second team's offense.
3. Test the Backup-Big Market
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Before Mitchell Robinson went down, the Knicks may have had the NBA's best backup big in Isaiah Hartenstein.
With Hartenstein promoted to fill Robinson's spot, though, New York may now have depth issues at center.
The "may" qualifier is key, because the Knicks could feel they have enough between Hartenstein, Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims. They've also grown "increasingly optimistic" about getting Robinson back at some point this season, per Katz, and if that is more probable than possible, this isn't an area the front office should address.
If there's a chance Robinson won't make it back, though, the 'Bockers could poke around for a cost-effective backup big. At the right price, a player who's a tad more reliable than the Achiuwa-Sims tandem would be worth having.
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