There’s a case to be made that this is the New York Knicks’ most important NBA trade deadline this century.
There’s an expectation from owner James Dolan to make it to the NBA Finals. Milwaukee Bucks superstar and longtime New York target Giannis Antetokounmpo is available, whether now or in the next week or this offseason. The Knicks’ decision-makers, led by president Leon Rose, have to keep one foot on both avenues.
It’s believed New York will only make marginal moves before next week’s NBA trade deadline. Even those, though, can impact whether or not the Knicks can get to the final stage of the season. There’s also reason for New York’s suits to ask themselves, “Can we win the title this season? If not, should we focus on getting Giannis, now or this summer?”
Buckle up.
This is your guide to where the Knicks stand as we approach the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, Feb. 5. Here, you’ll learn what I’m hearing regarding New York, a tier list of players most likely to be traded, as well as three trades I think would make sense.
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What I’m hearing
Guerschon Yabusele: The Knicks have long been trying to find a new home for their top free-agent signing before the deadline, per multiple league sources. I’ve reported on this since last year, and nothing has changed. Barring a big trade of sorts that has many moving pieces, rival teams expect New York to have to attach draft assets to get off Yabusele in any simpler transaction. Yabusele, who has struggled this season, has a $5.7 player option next year that, in addition to his play, makes him a negative asset.
Jose Alvarado: New York has had an eye on the feisty point guard for a while, as it could use depth in terms of ballhandling and point-of-attack defense. However, as my co-worker Will Guillory reported last week (and I, too, have heard), Alvardo prefers to stay in New Orleans. Multiple teams will be in the running for Alvarado, so the Knicks will be bidding against others if, in fact, the Pelicans’ brass decides to move him.
Karl-Anthony Towns: Sam Amick reported last week that New York’s talks with the Bucks last summer about acquiring Antetokounmpo created hard feelings with Towns that are still present. Furthermore, Towns hasn’t been given an extension even though he was eligible for one. The Knicks extended Mikal Bridges this past summer. Towns has had his worst offensive season since his rookie year in terms of both efficiency and volume. In talking to teams around the league, a few executives don’t believe that Towns is off limits ahead of Thursday’s deadline. The Knicks have played some of their best basketball as of late without Towns on the floor or with him still struggling offensively — although his rebounding has been off the charts. Assuming Towns is moved but not in a deal involving Antetokounmpo, the return is expected to be salary-matching players and, maybe, small draft compensation.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Per league sources, the Knicks will be one of several teams that have and will continue to inquire heavily about Antetokounmpo. The Bucks are looking for a premier young player(s) and multiple, good draft picks in exchange for one of the three best players in the NBA. The Knicks have neither of those, and to get close to what the Bucks are asking for, New York would need to trade two or three players in its starting lineup, most likely OG Anunoby, Bridges and/or Towns. The latter two, per multiple league sources, aren’t believed to have the same value today as when the Knicks traded for them, so that could be a hurdle in itself. It’s unclear if the Knicks and Dolan are willing to give up their hopes of making the finals this season in order to acquire Antetokounmpo sooner rather than later. New York hasn’t been as good as many projected coming into the season, but it’s still a good team and the Eastern Conference’s only dominant squad is the young Pistons. All signs, though, point to the eventual champion coming out of the Western Conference. It makes more sense for the Knicks to wait to trade for Antetokounmpo in the summer as they’ll have more picks freed up to trade, but maybe they’re afraid of losing a bidding war to even more attractive suitors if it waits until the summer.
Trade tiers
Most likely to be traded: Yabusele, Pacôme Dadiet, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek. New York has been on the hunt for a proven ballhandler for its second unit and big-man insurance. To get either one of those without breaking up its core group, these are the names the Knicks would most likely have to part with. Dadiet, a recent first-round pick, doesn’t play and the Knicks, who are close to the second apron, can’t take in more money than they send out, so they might have to add another salary to Yabusele depending on who they trade for. The same goes for Kolek, except he’s shown some flashes here and there in Year 2. Clarkson is on a veteran minimum after getting bought out by the Jazz last offseason. He signed with the Knicks, expecting to play. However, he’s been out of the rotation. It feels more likely that Clarkson gets bought out than traded if he and New York part ways, but his salary could be useful in a small deal.
Could get traded, but I wouldn’t bet on it: Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride. I’ve already spent time talking about Towns and his struggles this season. I still don’t think he’ll get moved in a non-Antetokounmpo deal before the deadline, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he does based on conversations with executives on other teams and people within the NBA ecosystem. As for Robinson and McBride, those two have been key parts to the Knicks’ success this season and will be going forward as they try to get to the NBA Finals. The holdup, though, is contractual stuff. Rose and his staff have a history of trading players like Robinson, whose contracts are nearing expiration, and an extension hasn’t been reached. New York and the oft-injured Robinson could have agreed to an extension by now but haven’t, and I don’t expect them to during the season. It’s just something to monitor. However, as I wrote in December, Robinson is too valuable this season to New York to move on as long as the goal is winning it all. On to McBride, who, also has been huge for the Knicks. McBride isn’t extension eligible until after the season, but given New York’s current financial situation, it will have to make hard decisions at some point soon on who to keep moving forward. And it’s safe to say that McBride has greatly outplayed his current three-year, $13 million contract that he signed in 2024. If there’s a juicier, mid-level trade that pops up on the Knicks’ radar before the deadline, McBride might have to be involved in a deal involving someone like, let’s say, Chicago’s Ayo Dosunmu. With that said, though, McBride fits this New York team well, has been good and has a team-friendly deal next year, as well. The Knicks might be better off dealing with his looming contract situation down the road.
Won’t get traded unless in an Antetokounmpo-type deal: Bridges, Anunoby and Hart. The Knicks will have to find a way to get what the Bucks need for trading Antetokounmpo, and the only way to currently do that is considering parting ways with those in the starting lineup not named Jalen Brunson. Otherwise, Hart is too valuable to the fabric of this Knicks team, Anunoby is the best defender and Bridges slots in comfortably as a third or fourth option on a good team.
Untouchable: Jalen Brunson. There is no world where I see a Rose-led organization trading Brunson. If it happens, it was an ownership decision. He’s Mr. Knick.
Three small trades that might make sense
Trade 1
Knicks receive: Jose Alvarado and Karlo Matković
Pelicans receive: Guerschon Yabusele, Pacôme Dadiet and a 2026 protected first-round pick (via Washington)
New York would be doing this to get Alvarado, though Matković as an end-of-bench stretch big might not be a bad addition. Anyways, the only thing of real value the Knicks are giving up here is the protected first-round pick via Washington, which is surely going to convert into two second-round picks because of how bad the Wizards are this season. They’ll be good second-round picks, though, and maybe the best second-round picks any team interested in Alvarado could offer.
I’m not sure I’d give up those two seconds for Alvarado, but that might get it done.
Trade 2
Knicks receive: Simone Fontecchio
Heat receive: Guerschon Yabusele, Pacôme Dadiet and two second-round picks
Two seconds might be too much for Fontecchio right now, but he’s by far the best player in this trade and would fit Mike Brown’s system well. Fontecchio can shoot, runs the floor hard and competes defensively. He’d help New York’s title chances this season more than anything it would be giving up. Furthermore, the Knicks would shed an additional $8.3 million off the books for next year, which could help in retaining Robinson if both sides decide that’s what they want to do. Yabusele, surely, will pick up his player option and Dadiet’s contract has already been guaranteed for next year. New York could trade for Fontecchio for this season only and then let him walk if it chooses this summer and rebuild the roster with a little more flexibility in terms of finances.
Now, my biggest holdup with a deal like this is giving more draft ammo to a rival team that is also very strongly in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes. That’s probably not wise in the bigger picture of things.
Trade 3
Knicks receive: Nick Richards
Suns receive: Guerschon Yabusele, a 2026 second-round pick and 2028 second-round pick (via Boston)
I’m not giving up the protected first-round Wizards pick (again, there’s a 99.9 percent chance it converts into two seconds) for Richards, but the Suns can have any two ehh-to-blah seconds in exchange for a player they’re not using and taking on the extra year of Yabusele.
Richards isn’t in the plans in Phoenix. He shouldn’t be in the plans in New York, either, if it were to trade for him. This would be an insurance move to have a veteran presence behind Towns and Robinson, two players who have dealt with injury stuff in the past, for a playoff run. It would also allow the Knicks to get off money for next season.
