The NBA trade deadline is here.
The Knicks have been one of the more active teams in attempting to bolster their roster ahead of Thursday’s 3 p.m. deadline, and after improving the team with the Dec. 30 OG Anunoby deal, the Leon Rose-led front office remains on the hunt for moves that will add depth to a team with a struggling second unit.
Not, however, at the cost of flexibility next offseason, when the organization hopes to push its chips to the center of the table in pursuit of a star who can lift the team to championship heights.
Here’s what you need to know as the trade deadline draws near.
WHAT DO THE KNICKS NEED?
Help in the back court, and immediately.
More specifically, the Knicks need more production out of the backup two-guard spot.
It’s why they’ve been tied to players like Detroit’s Alec Burks, Indiana’s Bruce Brown, Utah’s Jordan Clarkson and, to a lesser extent, Atlanta’s Dejounte Murray.
Miles “Deuce” McBride has proven himself a capable three-point shooter and point-of-attack defender, and Josh Hart — even with a self-proclaimed broken jump shot — is an energizer bunny who produces with hustle plays every second he’s on the floor.
The Knicks desperately need a scoring punch off the bench, where they used to deploy Immanuel Quickley, a runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season. Quickley and R.J. Barrett, who previously captained the Knicks’ second unit, were moved as part of the Anunoby deal.
The Knick bench ranks second-to-last in points per game since the deal.
The organization would also prefer the player they acquire also not be a negative asset on the defensive end of the floor.
WHAT ABOUT THE BACKUP CENTER SPOT?
The Knicks have been confident about their depth at center, and with Mitchell Robinson set to return to on-court activities after the NBA All-Star break, they have even more reason to be content with their situation at the five.
It must be noted that Precious Achiuwa, who arrived in the Anunoby deal, has found his footing in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. Thibodeau has been pleased with Achiuwa’s ability to play both the four and five spots. He has scored in double figures in each of his last four games.
In fact, Robinson’s looming return creates a potential logjam at the five given Jericho Sims was a training camp standout who has fallen out of the rotation, even with Robinson’s injury.
Sims missed Tuesday’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies with an illness and is listed as questionable for Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks.
WHAT ARE THE TRADE RESTRICTIONS?
Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn, who each arrived in the Anunoby deal, cannot be aggregated in a trade until two months have passed from the time of their acquisition.
The trade deadline will have passed by then, however, which means if either are to be moved at the deadline, they will have to be traded individually.
This means if the Knicks were to move Achiuwa — who makes $4.3 million this season — or Flynn, who is due $3.8 million this season, plus another player to create enough cap space to take back a player with a larger salary, they would need to find a third team to take Achiuwa or Flynn since they cannot be traded with another player to the same team.
The same goes for Anunoby, though there is a zero percent chance the Knicks trade him given the impact he has had since his arrival in New York.
WHAT ABOUT KNICKS CAP SPACE?
The Knicks have $157.3985 million in active roster cap.
The 2023-24 NBA salary cap is set at $136.021 million, which means the Knicks are more than $21 million over the cap entering the deadline.
The Knicks, however, have under $8 million in luxury tax room.
Because the Knicks are under the apron, they can take back 200 percent of the salary they send out, plus an additional $250,000, so long as the outgoing salary does not exceed $7.5 million.
If the Knicks were to trade a player who makes between $7.5 and $29 million, they would only be eligible to take back $7.5 million more than the outgoing salary.
Using Burks, who makes $10.4 million this season, as an example, the Knicks would need to send at least $5.125 million in outgoing salary to be able to absorb Burks’ contract into the payroll legally.
How they get to that number is the question: Jericho Sims makes $1.9 million, Ryan Arcidiacono makes $2 million, Quentin Grimes makes $2.3 million, Flynn makes $3.8 million and Achiuwa earns $4.3 million this season.
Grimes, however, is viewed as one of the Knicks’ most valuable, non draft-asset trade chips. The Knicks are not believed to have interest in moving Grimes merely for salary-matching purposes.
WHAT ABOUT A TRADE FOR A SUPERSTAR?
Well, one isn’t available. And the Knicks aren’t going to trade for just any star. They are holding pat for the right star, the kind of player who elevates what’s already in place. The kind of player who makes the Knicks a legitimate contender, not just a pretender incapable of getting over the hump in a series against the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks or a healthy Philadelphia 76ers team.
That kind of player may become available over the summer after a failed playoff run. That kind of player could also become available midway through next season, when offseason additions often prove fruitless.
The Knicks aren’t going to rush, nor are they going to make a knee-jerk decision to add a player who may not be the right fit.
They will be measured. They will be calculated. They will wait for the right time to strike.
