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Where Knicks Stand in NBA Trade Market

The New York Knicks have the opportunity to take advantage of a lucrative NBA trade season.

Jed Katz

Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) dunks past New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) and guard Trey Murphy III (25) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) dunks past New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) and guard Trey Murphy III (25) in the second quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
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The New York Knicks are in a unique spot as the NBA trade season nears. The team currently sits at 12-8 through 20 games, good for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are looking like a playoff team once again, but the roster still has some holes to start the season.

The Knicks lack heavily in the center and power forward departments. Backups Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa are out with injuries and are not expected to be back for weeks, which poses significant problems in rebounding and defending. It's already taken a hit on the team, as the Knicks rank 22nd in defensive rating.

The trade market is expected to be extremely lucrative, as the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls are already established sellers, according to Evan Sidery of Forbes. Centers such as Nikola Vucevic and Jonas Valanciunas are expected to be moved to playoff teams soon.

The Knicks have plenty of options if they want to upgrade a position or add depth to a hindered roster. Vucevic and Valanciunas, along with plenty of other centers could be eyed by New York if the team grows impatient with Robinson's repeated injury issues.

The Knicks could also target a veteran forward as the team has only given Miles McBride and Cameron Payne significant minutes off the bench. Cameron Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith are expected to have contenders lined up for acquisition.

There will be plenty of other sellers before the trade deadline, specifically in the East. The conference is weak with more non-contenders than the West, and many teams will be looking to dump assets for draft capital and young players to ignite or continue a rebuild.

The Knicks could take advantage of this lucrative trade market, but they might be hesitant. The team is expected to have Robinson back in January, and given that New York is still playing competitive basketball, there isn't an immediate need to give up assets in a trade.

What could be holding the Knicks back is the Mikal Bridges trade. They gave the Brooklyn Nets five first-round picks and a pick swap in exchange for the forward, and seeing as how he's generally struggled to start the season, New York may not want to give up anything more. Leon Rose has been very strategic regarding trades in his tenure with the Knicks, making few moves that significantly altered the roster.

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Jed Katz
JED KATZ

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