Knicks Can't Afford Another Blockbuster Trade
The New York Knicks are no stranger to a blockbuster trade, making three in less than a year for OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Those three, along with Jalen Brunson, have formed the Knicks' core moving forward, and Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale believes none of them can be included in a future trade if New York were to make another one.
"Jalen Brunson remains indispensable. His contract is too damn good, and the Knicks do not have another player who can consistently shoulder his ball-handling workload versus premier lineups. Karl-Anthony Towns is mission-critical to the five-out spacing New York wants to embody. His contract will invite unease — three years and $171.2 million remain after this one — but he's the toughest component of all-out spacing to replace," Favale writes.
Brunson and Towns are the Batman and Robin for the Knicks, but trading Anunoby shortly after his extension and Bridges, who should sign a long-term deal soon, doesn't make sense either.
"From there, if you're going to rope off Brunson and Towns, you cannot afford to move on from Anunoby. His penchant for gambling can leave teammates out to dry, but he's among the league's best overall defenders and beyond necessary given the limitations of the Knicks' two best players," Favale writes.
"Bridges has improved following an early-season malaise. You can still make the case he's not untouchable. Then again, good luck matching the value you sent out to get him. And he, too, is paramount to constructing a viable defense around KAT and JB," he continued.
For now, the Knicks have somewhat locked themselves into this group. The Knicks should give this group a shot to see what they can do in a playoff setting in hopes that they make a deep run. If not, they may have to revisit the idea of this foursome working in the long run.