3 expendable veterans the New York Knicks can trade away

1. Isaiah Hartenstein

Unlike the first two names on this list, Isaiah Hartenstein is very much still in the rotation. He has appeared in all 35 of the New York Knicks’ games, starting seven of them while filling in for Mitchell Robinson. He’s averaging 19.9 minutes per game, and his per-36 averages come out to 10.3 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Why is Hartenstein on this list, then, especially just months after he signed a two-year deal with the Knicks? The answer is that Robinson, signed to a larger deal, is having a great season and likely to hold onto the starting spot for a long time. Add in young big Jericho Sims, a player the team is enamored with, and the Knicks already have close to 48 minutes of center play they want. Give Julius Randle or Obi Toppin a few minutes at center, and suddenly Hartenstein is superfluous.

The benefit of trading Hartenstein is that he has real value to other teams. He’s on an excellent two-year, $16 million contract and has been a picture of health over the past few seasons. At just 24 years old, teams in a wide variety of situations could trade for him. One idea was floated by our sister site covering the LA Clippers when looking at potential center upgrades.

The Knicks look to have a solid nucleus put together, and much of it is propped up by young players. That makes these three veteran players expendable. New York should call around looking for potential trades to turn bench-fodder into something useful — something that will help this team win in 2023 and beyond.