With the 2026 NBA trade deadline arriving on Feb. 5, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Knicks and their NBA Finals expectations.
New York snapped their four-game losing streak in an impressive win over the Nets on Wednesday night, but the team is still in the midst of one of its worst stretches in the Jalen Brunson era. With the win, they are 3-9 over their last 12 games and have fallen into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference -- they would be the four-seed if they didn't hold the tiebreaker over the Raptors.
So, as the Knicks look to improve the roster, what should fans be looking for? SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley spoke on the topic on the Jan. 22 episode of The Putback, where he and guest Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype broke down what they are hearing as the trade deadline gets closer.
Karl-Anthony Towns trade rumors
After the Knicks' dreadful loss to the undermanned Mavericks at home on Monday, Newsday's Steve Popper reported that New York had spoken to a number of teams (Hornets, Grizzlies, Magic) about a potential trade involving Towns.
Towns' numbers are down pretty much across the board and the big man even admitted that he's had a tough time adjusting to head coach Mike Brown's system.
Begley shared on The Putback what he had heard.
"I checked around on this Monday, everything that I gathered is the Knicks are not having conversations about trading Karl-Anthony Towns," Begley said. "As of Monday, it was not happening. As far as something in the aftermath of that Dallas loss, no, that wasn’t the case."
Begley added that if the Knicks go through another 2-9 stretch and continue to struggle as they get closer to the trade deadline, things might change.
Whenever Towns' name is thrown out there as a trade candidate, the Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is not far behind. It seems like an easy swap for both teams, but Scotto threw some cold water on the idea.
“I personally never gotten the sense, at least from talking to my sources, that a team like the Milwaukee Bucks would be overly aggressive in trying to get Karl Towns in a Giannis Antetokounmpo package, theoretically," Scotto said.
Scotto suggested that the Knicks, if they were to deal Towns, would have to consider "breaking up" Towns' salary into multiple pieces, similar to what the Timberwolves did when they moved the big man to New York for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Potential Knicks trade deadline acquisitions
Since a Towns trade is unlikely, what players should we be on the lookout for?
Guerschon Yabusele is as likely a candidate to be moved. According to Scotto, the acquisition was seen as a "homerun" by execs in the offseason, but it was made before the hiring of Brown. Clearly, Yabusele has had a tough time integrating into Brown's system, and the Knicks are looking to shop him. Scotto even suggested the Knicks may have to pair Yabusele with another minimum-salary player or draft picks to get a player that could help the team.
Scotto shared that the Pelicans have two players that the Knicks checked in.
"I did hear the Knicks were calling not only on Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans but also Yves Missi," Scotto said. "Part of it could be doing background, doing due diligence, but you don't make calls on these guys unless you're intersted so that raised my antenna a little bit. If you take Yabusele and another minimum guy, you could maybe try to make something happen there."
The Knicks' interest in Alvarado is well-documented by Missi is a name that even Begley was surprised by.
Missi, 21, is a second-year center who has seen his minutes deep in year two. In his rookie campaign, Missi played around 27 minutes a game (73 games), averaging nine points, and eight rebounds (3.5 offensive). In his sophomore year, Missi is averaging 19 minutes and just 5.5 points and 5.5 rebounds (2.9 offensive) across 38 games.
Acquiring another big like Missi could open up more avenues for deals involving the Knicks. Would they deal Mitchell Robinson, who is on the final year of his contract, or one of the depth bigs like Ariel Hukporti? That also opens up the possibility to trade Towns as well.
The Knicks have a lot to consider as they hope to fortify their roster for the final stretch of the regular season and the playoffs.
