Insider Reveals Knicks Desperation Level at Trade Deadline

The New York Knicks have a mission ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) grabs a rebound against Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) during the fourth quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson (23) grabs a rebound against Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) during the fourth quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are fielding phone calls as they get ready for the final days leading up to the trade deadline.

The Knicks are sitting comfortably at No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, so they should look for ways to stay competitive with those teams.

ESPN insiders Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst say that the Knicks are at a "medium" level of desperation as they look to acquire more depth.

"While the Knicks are on pace to win 50 games in consecutive seasons for the first time in 30 years and have their best chance in a generation to break a 52-year title drought, a season-long topic of conversation around the Knicks has been the heavy minutes for New York's starters. Four of them are in the top five in total minutes played -- Mikal Bridges (1st), Josh Hart (2nd), OG Anunoby (3rd), Jalen Brunson (5th) -- while Karl-Anthony Towns is 23rd. Part of that comes down to their availability: Bridges, Hart, Anunoby and Brunson have combined to miss two games, and Towns has missed only five," ESPN writes.

"But while that has reignited long-standing debates over coach Tom Thibodeau's penchant for leaning on his main players, it also has highlighted New York's lack of depth, something the Knicks were prepared to deal with when they chose to acquire Towns on the eve of training camp."

If the Knicks want to acquire depth, their best path towards that is by trading Mitchell Robinson, who has yet to play in a game this season as he has tried to recover from offseason ankle surgery.

Robinson's contract could help facilitate a trade for a player of a higher caliber, but it would be a risk to acquire anyone new at this point in the season.

That being said, the Knicks aren't where they want to be, and making some kind of change will help that.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.