All signs point to the Knicks having a desire to move Guerschon Yabusele ahead of the trade deadline. Marc Stein reported as much recently, and that reporting has been confirmed by Stefan Bondy of the New York Post as well as by The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III.
In a recent mailbag for The Athletic, Edwards broke down the financial and talent limitations facing the Knicks as they look to improve their depth. New York is currently only about $150K below the second apron and is unable to take back more money than they send out in a deal.
They’re unlikely to move on from any core pieces, and players like Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson have proven themselves important to the rotation. While Robinson is on an expiring contract that could lead to considering him in trade deals, his ability to generate multiple possessions via offensive rebounds has become a staple of the team’s offense. McBride’s team-friendly deal also makes him an unlikely trade candidate.
That leaves Yabusele and, possibly, second-year wing Pacome Dadietas the odd men out, in addition to whatever draft capital the Knicks are willing to surrender. Edwards notes that the two players’ combined salaries come to about $8.3MM, so any trade would likely be for a player who makes around that much — and he notes Miami’s Simone Fontecchio as a player who is owed almost exactly that number.
When it comes to what kind of player the Knicks will prioritize, Edwards writes that his understanding is that the team is most interested in adding someone who can both handle the ball and defend, whether on the wing or from the guard spot. The team has plenty of guards already, but after McBride and Clarkson, the depth remains somewhat unproven.
He also notes that there has been talk of the team considering a reliable third-string big man as insurance for Robinson, who is prone to missing time.
We have more from the Knicks:
- Another impact of the Knicks’ financial situation is their ability to be players on the buyout market. While contenders are often able to add impact players after the trade deadline via the buyout player pool, the Knicks will not be able to sign any player who made more than the $12MM mid-level exception prior to being bought out by their team.
- The Knicks have become worryingly reliant on Josh Hartwrites Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. They’re 12-3 when Hart starts and 5-5 when he doesn’t play, but the impact goes beyond the win and loss columns. Winfield writes that the team’s offensive identity, built around ball movement and hammering the offensive boards, goes away without Hart, as does their defensive toughness. “He just does so many things for us that are hard to replace as a singular player and we — starting with me — have to do a better job of finding ways to continue to elevate others around us,” said head coach Mike Brown.
- Precious Achiuwa doesn’t believe that last year’s bench got a fair shake, he told Bondy ahead of the Knicks’ matchup with the Kings on Wednesday. “I’m not going to sit here and go back and forth on what is a good bench and what is not a good bench,” he said. “But you can’t say something isn’t working if you’ve never tried it.” After playing well for former head coach Tom Thibodeau the previous year, Achiuwa found his minutes and role inconsistent and struggled to find his place with the team. “It wasn’t easy knowing things that you’re able to do to contribute to a team like that — especially if you just did it the year before and fast forward a year later, you’re not even given an opportunity to do that, to help get success in that type of way,” Achiuwa said. A New York native, Achiuwa said he’d never rule out a return to the Knicks if things broke that way.
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