Report: Knicks 'Combing' for Trades; Victor Oladipo Remains an Option

When asked about the March 25 trade deadline in a talk with reporters Wednesday night, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said the team's front office is "combing the league" as it gears up for the second half of the regular season.

"That's a [Knicks president Leon Rose] question," Thibodeau said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post.

He added:

"Look, I have a strong bias toward good players. I know they're looking at all the possibilities. If something makes sense for us, we'll do it. If not, I love the team that we have. I love the guys that we have on the team. We'll just keep working with what we have and Leon and [Executive Vice President/Senior Basketball Advisor William Wesley], they're combing the league, Scott Perry, that's their job."

Berman also gave an update on some players who could be on the trading block relative to the Knicks, mentioning Houston Rockets guard Victor Oladipo in particular.

"[Rose] is seeing if he can upgrade their current talent—specifically in the backcourt with [Oladipo], a player of interest—to win now and break the seven-year playoff drought. The Knicks are thin at center as Mitchell Robinson is still not close to playing, according to [Thibodeau]. The Cavaliers' Andre Drummond is very available."

The surprising Knicks are 19-18 and sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They are looking to break a seven-year playoff drought.

Oladipo is averaging 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season. He started the year with the Indiana Pacers before moving to Houston in the four-team James Harden trade.

The 11-23 Rockets have lost 13 in a row and appear to be playing out the string of a playoff-less season. That could give general manager Rafael Stone the impetus to trade some of the team's players for title-hungry teams or playoff-seeking ones like the Knicks before March 25.

Oladipo recently turned down a two-year, $45.2 million extension with the Rockets, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. He's slated to become a free agent after this season.

For now, the Knicks are forging ahead with their current roster, looking to build off the momentum from a 4-1 finish to the first half of the year. A tough four-game road trip awaits them, starting with a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.