{"id":113791,"date":"2024-12-23T20:22:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T01:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=113791"},"modified":"2024-12-23T20:31:22","modified_gmt":"2024-12-24T01:31:22","slug":"knicks-trade-targets-center-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/23\/knicks-trade-targets-center-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Knicks Trade Targets Should Point Toward Center Depth"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Knicks have been on a roll lately and currently sit in third place in the East.\u00a0<\/span>Karl-Anthony Towns<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has emerged as the perfect catalyst, and the offseason trade is paying immense dividends. That <\/span>being said<\/span>, the Knicks are not without their flaws, and one could argue that propelling them even further in the East could mean being active come the February trade deadline. The Knicks eyeing trade targets involving a center is likely on the horizon.<\/span><\/p>\n

Knicks Trade Targets Should Point Toward Center Depth<\/h2>\n

Mitchell Robinson Might Be the Knicks Best Trade Asset<\/h3>\n

As currently constructed, the Knicks have one of the top starting fives in the league. Towns fortifies the lineup as its prominent big man,\u00a0<\/span>and Jalen Brunson<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>Josh Hart<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>OG Anunoby<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>Mikal Bridges<\/span><\/a>\u00a0round out the group. The Knicks’ depth is where some holes could be better filled by the trade deadline. That’s not to say the Knicks’ current lineup couldn’t contend in the playoffs; simply that there are opportunities to get stronger, namely, in the paint at center.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mitchell Robinson<\/span><\/a>\u00a0remains on ice for the time being, at least until January, as he continues to deal with ankle issues. Robinson, when healthy, is an excellent center. However, his health has continued to be a problem. Despite his return targeted for next month, there is no guarantee that the Knicks won’t use Robinson in a trade package. He may be the Knicks best trade asset right now that they would be willing to part with. Given his game caliber when available, it could be enough for some teams to trade for him. Regardless, the center position behind Towns is one of the Knick’s most glaring flaws. Even if Robinson remains on the team past the deadline, his health will always remain a question mark that New York must address.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three Depth Considerations to Back Up KAT<\/h3>\n

In light of Robinson’s uncertain future, the Knicks have to consider adding another paint threat to bolster the center position. A number of centers are rumored to enter the market if they haven’t already. Here are three big men the Knicks should consider to either replace Robinson or, at the very least, add for security.<\/p>\n

Andre Drummond<\/h4>\n

Andre Drummond<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is having a solid year for the Philadelphia 76ers. That <\/span>being<\/span> said<\/span>, the 76ers are having a not-so-solid year as a team. In limited minutes (19.8), Drummond is averaging 7.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 steals while shooting 50% from the field. For the role he has on the team, that is a productive contribution. However, because the 76ers are where they are, Drummond might be on the trade block, and he would add instant value to the Knicks big-man depth. His size, rebounding, and rim protection could be essential to the Knicks come playoff time. While his minutes likely wouldn’t change all that much, what he does with them counts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walker Kessler<\/h4>\n

Walker Kessler<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has been subject to trade rumors going back to last season, most notably linked with the\u00a0<\/span>Los Angeles Lakers<\/span><\/a>. The Utah Jazz are going nowhere fast, and they appear to be a team ready and willing to listen to offers on several of their players, Kessler included. Kessler would provide a more offensive upside than Drummond, and he also averages more in rebounds and adds 2.9 blocks per game on top of it all. Kessler is an attractive trade piece, given that he’s a great defensive player with a high offensive upside. That combo is something that\u00a0<\/span>Brunson<\/span><\/a>\u00a0could work with when KAT is off the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jakob Poeltl<\/h4>\n

Returning to Toronto mid-season last year,\u00a0<\/span>Jakob Poeltl<\/span><\/a>\u00a0fit in perfectly with the Raptors. He is currently putting together an outstanding season. He averages 15.5 points and 11 rebounds a game, which is a stat line the Knicks would love to have complimenting Towns in the painted area. Poeltl’s offensive efficiency is one of his top contributions; he shoots almost 60% from the field. Between him, Kessler, and Drummond, the offense win goes to Poeltl. That said, trading for him would likely require the Knicks to give up more on their end. That type of move could prove to be costly. However, it could wind up being well worth the trouble if Poeltl can contribute exactly what he presently contributes for a non-playoff-bound team in Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Knicks have been on a roll lately and currently sit in third place in the East.\u00a0Karl-Anthony Towns\u00a0has emerged as the perfect catalyst, and the offseason trade is paying immense dividends. That being said, the Knicks are not without their flaws, and one could argue that propelling them even further in the East […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5081,"featured_media":113801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1608,62,4721],"tags":[341,968,1417,1004,213,1484,1616,1082,4513],"class_list":["post-113791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knicks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-andre-drummond","tag-jakob-poeltl","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-josh-hart","tag-karl-anthony-towns","tag-mikal-bridges","tag-mitchell-robinson","tag-og-anunoby","tag-walker-kessler"],"modified_by":"Aaron J Zacharias","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5081"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113791"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113805,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113791\/revisions\/113805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}