Panic Trade? Knicks Eleventh Hour Move is Justified

The New York Knicks have a big question mark at center.

Apr 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) dribbles against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks were in disarray when it comes to the center position.

After losing Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team also learned that Mitchell Robinson won't be available until a month or two into the regular season as he recovers from offseason surgery.

This put a lot of uncertainty surrounding what the team will do at center, which is why the team traded for Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Knicks had a number of options for their center spot even without Robinson, but none of them were enticing enough for the team to stay quiet and pat before training camp.

The likeliest top option would have been for backup center Jericho Sims to step into the starting lineup, even if it was only for 10-15 minutes per game. Sims likely wouldn't have been part of the team's closing lineup, but he can still give some quality minutes for the Knicks.

New York also has Precious Achiuwa aboard, and he shined last season after being traded to the Knicks from the Toronto Raptors in the OG Anunoby deal.

Achiuwa and even Anunoby would have been options for the Knicks as small-ball centers. However, the Knicks didn't feel comfortable making that move either.

With so many different avenues, the Knicks could have explored worlds in which they could have lived. But that simply wasn't good enough for them. The Knicks view this as an important season and they didn't want to waste another year of Jalen Brunson's prime.

So now, Brunson has his center and pick-and-roll partner in Towns, and the team is set to roll with the two of them as the future of the franchise.

This move screams panic from the Knicks, especially in the eleventh hour of the offseason. But considering the fact that they weren't a fan of the alternatives, the panic may have been necessary.

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