Knicks have needs, but they might be best served by doing nothing at trade deadline
Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, right, moves the ball while defended by Golden State forward Andrew Wiggins during the first half of an NBA game Wednesday in San Francisco. Credit: AP/Godofredo A. Vásquez
The NBA trade deadline, now less than two weeks away, has been filled with rumors, with the tossing around of names of high-scoring players who, in the fever dreams of front offices, could be the piece to lift the franchise to championship aspirations.
The Hawks are showcasing Dejounte Murray. The Bulls have been searching for someone to bid on Zach LaVine. The Raptors have made it clear that they are open for business, ready to trade recently acquired Bruce Brown and really anyone other than Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. The Wizards have done the same, letting it be known that they are ready for anything. Other teams may be quieter but ready to move on, too.
For the Knicks and their front office, the Feb. 8 trade deadline is just a suggestion. Leon Rose and his staff kick-started the trade season with the Dec. 30 deal for OG Anunoby, and like the Josh Hart deal last season ahead of the deadline, the move has provided a huge advantage for the Knicks. The question now facing Rose and vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is whether they should do more.
And it’s simple to point to what they could use. A star scoring shooting guard would be a luxury. With Mitchell Robinson possibly out for the season, there is an opening for a legitimate big man to pair with Isaiah Hartenstein. Bench help.
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But maybe the more important thing for the Knicks is to be careful of who or what they add and how it could disrupt what they have working right now.
After beating the Miami Heat, 125-109, on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks have a 12-2 record along with the best defense in the NBA since the Anunoby trade. And the fit on both ends seems to be working perfectly.
Sure, the Knicks could use help — a backup point guard to replace some of what Quickley brought to the second unit, another backup big man. But fit might be as important as skill right now.
A team is a delicate balance. The Knicks liked having Barrett and Quickley in the locker room, but it’s inarguable that the fit on the court is better with Anunoby. Even as there have been some mostly whispered gripes about opportunities, the players seem to get along, to play together, to enjoy being a part of the team. In adding Hart and Anunoby, along with the signing of Donte DiVincenzo in the summer, the Knicks have brought in players who fit, who function as Tom Thibodeau-type players.
After seeing how the Knicks have functioned since moving on from two ball-dominant players in Barrett and Quickley, what would it do to the team to add another player like that?
So who could fit?
Kyle Lowry, Hornets: How about not making a trade, letting the deadline pass and waiting for a buyout of the 37-year-old point guard? He may seem as if he’s aging and approaching the end of his career, but the Knicks, who saw his performance against them in the playoffs last season, need a backup with experience and ability on both ends of the floor. He might opt for somewhere with more minutes, but it fits — and he’s a Villanova alum.
Alec Burks, Pistons: We’ve written this and spoken it and stand by it. There is a Thibodeau type, and Burks is it — a versatile guard with good size who defends and can shoot and is a calming force. He may not be an upgrade over Deuce McBride, certainly not defensively, but he’s a veteran presence who can get the team into its offense while Brunson rests.
Bruce Brown, Raptors: A target of the Knicks in the summer free-agent market, he’s not a point guard, but he’s another player in the Hart mold — able to defend multiple positions — and he has a championship ring from last season with Denver.
Clint Capela, Atlanta: With the Hawks' disappointing performance — and a desire to get more time for Onyeka Okongwu — Capela is an intriguing piece. He mimics some of Robinson’s skill set and could provide insurance if Hartenstein gets a huge free-agent offer to start somewhere else.
What could they give up?
The Knicks have dangled Evan Fournier's expiring $18.8 million contract for a year now, and it may seem as if they need to move it in the next two weeks. But they have an out, the ability to exercise a team option that could allow them to continue using it as a trade chip for another year. Sources have indicated that the team is reluctant to keep Fournier idle and waste more of his career — but it’s a business decision that they have held on to so far.
Quentin Grimes, who was viewed as a Thibodeau favorite not long ago, has lost his starting position and has seen his minutes and chances decrease. Add in that he is eligible for a contract extension in the summer, and he becomes an asset that might be better used as a trade chip than in the rotation. But it’s a risk and one that the front office shouldn’t take lightly. Grimes remains the Knicks' best on-ball defender among guards, and even as he has slumped with limited chances, he is more than capable offensively — as evidenced by his 19-point effort against Denver on Thursday and his aggressive play in Saturday’s win over the Heat.
“People are going to talk all the time on social media and all that,” Grimes said. “But if I come in, lock in on the game plan for whoever we’re playing, lock in on my game, try to get better every day, just try to block the noise, contribute any way I can every time, every game.
“I feel good. Rumors and rumors. I’ve been in trade rumors since my rookie year, last year, summertime, so it’s just part of the NBA. I try to come in, do my job, do whatever’s asked of me and try to do what I can to help the team win every time I step on the court.”
The other item the Knicks can dangle are draft picks. They have up to eight first-round picks available to be moved. Add in trade exceptions of $6.8 million and $5.2 million, and they have the ability to let Knicks VP of basketball and strategic planning Brock Aller go wild.
Big help
Hartenstein returned to the starting lineup and played 16 minutes Saturday after sitting out the previous two games with left Achilles tendinopathy.
“It was good,” he said. “Was on minutes restriction, so making sure it feels good. It feels good, so that’s a great little test. But at the end of the day, Precious [Achiuwa] did a great job today. The way he defended and brought energy, that was great and that’s what we needed. Him playing those minutes when I’m on minutes restriction was big for us.”
Achiuwa could have a large role right now with the uncertain status of Julius Randle, who suffered a dislocated shoulder. But the Knicks have other questions still awaiting answers in the frontcourt.
The Knicks are still coy about the possible return this season of Robinson. They originally had a timetable of eight to 10 weeks before he would be reevaluated, and Monday will be six weeks from the left ankle surgery and almost seven weeks since he suffered the original injury.
Thibodeau was asked if he has been reevaluated yet. “I don’t believe so,” he said. “And he’s doing a little bit more, but once they clear him, you’ll see him. So we’re relying on medical. But each day, he’s doing a little bit more.
“He’s lifting. He looks like, I don't know, bodybuilding. Whatever it is that he can do, and it’s a step-by-step progression. So he'll be in the pool, he’ll be on the bike and then eventually get to be where he can shoot. He’s shooting a little bit, shooting out of the chair at this point. Just following protocols and getting treatments. He’s been great, he’s in great spirits. So we're encouraged, everything's positive so far. Just let him go through it, and then when he’s ready, he’s ready.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.