{"id":116871,"date":"2025-01-08T15:50:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T20:50:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=116871"},"modified":"2025-01-08T15:50:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T20:50:04","slug":"knicks-trade-targets-to-improve-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/08\/knicks-trade-targets-to-improve-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Trades the Knicks Can Make to Improve Lack of Depth"},"content":{"rendered":"

As it always goes with the Knicks, a three-game losing streak feels like the end of the world. Despite it coming on the heels of a nine-game heater amid their best season in over two decades, the main story regarding this team is their glaring lack of bench production<\/a>. New York’s starting five is one of the very best in basketball, but Thibodeau’s overuse of these guys has caused much concern. While NY has several inexperienced bench options, Thibodeau has made it clear he won’t rely on them yet. That leaves GM Leon Rose with one option: make a trade to help the Knicks improve their depth. Let’s dive into a few Knicks trade targets ahead of the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Trades the Knicks Can Make to Improve Lack of Depth<\/h2>\n

New York Needs At Least One More Guy Thibodeau Can Lean On<\/h3>\n

So, what kind of players do the Knicks need off the bench? The answer is simple: any help they can get, provided that Thibs will actually put them on the floor. There has been a lot of talk about bringing in a center while Mitchell Robinson<\/a> is hurt, whether through trading Robinson<\/a>\u00a0to do so or using smaller salaries to acquire a lower-tier big man.<\/p>\n

New York could also use some forward depth, as Josh Hart<\/a>, OG Anunoby<\/a>, and Mikal Bridges<\/a> are playing obscene minutes every night. Bridges and Hart especially are built for heavy workloads, but it can still take a toll on their bodies come playoff time. With Thibodeau refusing to play Pacome Dadiet<\/a> due to inexperience, Landry Shamet<\/a> is the only wing option off the bench.<\/p>\n

With Miles McBride<\/a> sustaining a hamstring injury, the guard rotation is suddenly very thin. Furthermore, rookie Tyler Kolek<\/a> has played in rare opportunities, but Thibs still seems hesitant to play him. This has forced an immense burden onto an already banged-up Jalen Brunson<\/a>, a nightmare scenario for NY.<\/p>\n

Knicks Trade Targets: Ball Handlers<\/h3>\n

New York has little flexibility to go after any of the big fish on the trade market with their expensive lineup. With that being said, they are able to make smaller trades using other contracts like Robinson’s $14.3M.<\/p>\n

Ideally, they could acquire Cameron Johnson<\/a> from Brooklyn. Johnson is enjoying a breakout sixth season, averaging 19.5 points on 43.6 percent from downtown. He is a deadeye shooter and capable defender who would fit perfectly in NY’s ball and player movement offense. Unfortunately, it could be difficult to swing this trade because the Nets might ask for the moon in return. However, Rose should at least check in on Johnson, as he would give NYK the best top seven in the NBA.<\/p>\n

The Knicks will likely shop in the bargain bin this year, where there are plenty of options on losing teams. Guys like Ayo Dosunmu<\/a>, Davion Mitchell<\/a>, and Keon Ellis<\/a> would all come cheaply and would instantly improve the rotation. All three are intense, gritty defenders Thibs would have no problem trusting.<\/p>\n

If New York wishes to go slightly more expensive, Jordan Clarkson<\/a> will certainly be on the trade market. A second reunion with Heat guard Alec Burks<\/a> could be fun if Miami is willing to shop him. Thibodeau loves Burks from his past two stops in NYC, and he is a proven playoff performer.<\/p>\n

Center Options<\/h3>\n

Whether the Knicks want to trade Robinson for a starting-caliber center who is healthy now or make a smaller deal for a playable backup center until he heals, there are several options. Robert Williams<\/a>, Jonas Valuncianas<\/a>, and Walker Kessler<\/a> are all very good players, with Williams and Kessler having a high upside as well. All three guys would immediately solve New York’s depth issue but would require varying amounts of draft compensation in return.<\/p>\n

As the Knicks possess little draft capital after the Bridges trade gutted them, they may have to lower their sights a bit. Day’Ron Sharpe<\/a>, Nick Richards<\/a>, and Duop Reath<\/a> are inexpensive options that would give New York a fighting chance until Robinson returns.<\/p>\n

We know NY has limited financial flexibility and trade assets. This is the territory you live in with a top-heavy cap sheet and the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, Leon Rose has proven to be a clever operator and has the means to add something to this current roster. It remains to be seen whether he chooses to aggressively pursue a talent upgrade, or bolster the depth with a deal in the clearance aisle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As it always goes with the Knicks, a three-game losing streak feels like the end of the world. Despite it coming on the heels of a nine-game heater amid their best season in over two decades, the main story regarding this team is their glaring lack of bench production. New York’s starting five is one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5412,"featured_media":116896,"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":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,12],"tags":[1899,1616,4774,1382,662,215,4513],"class_list":["post-116871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-knicks","tag-cameron-johnson","tag-mitchell-robinson","tag-rumors","tag-nba-trade","tag-nba-trade-deadline","tag-tom-thibodeau","tag-walker-kessler"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116871","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\/5412"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116871"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116897,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116871\/revisions\/116897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}