Knicks trade Jericho Sims to Bucks, but don't expect any major deals at NBA trade deadline
Knicks president Leon Rose looks on during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 1, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
If most of us woke up to the fact that no one in the NBA is untouchable with the Luka Doncic trade this week, not everyone had to learn that lesson.
“Really, anyone can be moved,” Karl-Anthony Towns joked, faking incredulity as he listened. “You think I wouldn’t know that?”
Of course Towns would understand, having seen his life upended on the eve of training camp with a trade that, like the pieces in the Doncic trade, caught him by surprise. Still, Towns and Julius Randle were long rumored to possibly be moved before they actually were. So the Doncic-Anthony Davis deal seemed to trigger an alarm in front offices that with the collective bargaining agreement creating obstacles to team-building nothing was off the table.
But why does it feel that in the Knicks’ front office the executives are gathering and watching “Severance” or “Seinfeld” reruns as the deadline approaches Thursday at 3 p.m.?
Jokes aside, they are certainly doing their due diligence. The 34-17 record shows that they are a legitimate title contender, but the Knicks certainly have holes around the fringes of the roster that they would like to upgrade. But being less than $600,000 from the second luxury tax apron, they find themselves limited in what type of moves they could make.
So while star names are thrown around the rumor mill, the Knicks swung the expected, but not nearly as exciting, trade to move Jericho Sims. They found Sims a new team with a better opportunity and used his $2 million expiring contract to try to fill another hole. A league source confirmed the Knicks sent Sims and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort to Milwaukee for Delon Wright, the draft rights to Hugo Besson and cash considerations. Like Sims, the 6-5 Wright’s $2.09 million contract expires at season’s end.
“You get people talking about this stuff and the important thing is not to get distracted and understand that for every 100 trades that get talked about one gets done,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So just stay focused on the things you can control. Stay locked in.”
The Knicks seem to be. Asked if the team had enough as structured to reach their goals, Jalen Brunson smiled and said, “That is a question for our front office.”
The Knicks did much of their work before the season began, trading for Mikal Bridges and then Towns. But there are still needs, particularly with the unknowns of injuries. OG Anunoby, who has been sidelined by injuries for portions of nearly every season of his career, is currently called day-to-day with what the team called a mild right foot sprain. So are the Knicks secure at the wing spot or could they use another piece to provide insurance?
And more pressing, what are the expectations for Mitchell Robinson? If the Knicks were penciling in a shopping list for the deadline, a rim protector like Robinson would be at the top of the list. He’s able to slide in next to Towns in a two-bigs lineup or provide a solid backup as he did when he came back from a long injury absence last season. But he has yet to play this season after undergoing left ankle surgery in May. Robinson was just cleared this week to begin contact work in practice.
If, as Thibodeau has said, Robinson is healthy and moving close to playing, he is the perfect addition to the Knicks as they head toward the postseason. And with rookie Ariel Hukporti beginning to advance into the rotation, the Knicks do have some measure of insurance at center.
Their options from around the league are limited. Jonas Valanciunas, who league sources had pointed to as a fit for the Knicks, was dealt from Washington to Sacramento Wednesday. Daniel Theis, another possible target, was moved from New Orleans to Oklahoma City.
So while Robinson, if healthy, could draw interest, the Knicks seem best suited to stand pat with the former starting center. The players around the locker room seemed content to ride the group they have to the playoffs.
“I love everyone in this locker room,” Towns said. “Not one person I don’t love. It’s not a like thing. It’s love. I love everyone in here. I’m super excited to come into work every day to see everyone in this locker room. I just love everyone in this locker room. I can’t explain that and stress that enough.”
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.
