With the trade deadline being right around the corner on Feb. 9, the likelihood of the Knicks making a trade increases every day. While I don’t think the team should go all in on a potential star, I think we can agree that the Knicks need an upgrade off the bench.
These are trades that won’t necessarily break the bank, but will definitely make the team better, as so far this season, the bench has struggled aside from Immanuel Quickley.
Players like Miles McBride, Isaiah Hartenstein, and sadly enough, Obi Toppin (aside from the last two games) have been rather disappointing this season and the Knicks should genuinely consider looking to replace some, if not all, of them.
While it’ll likely be better to keep McBride and Toppin due to their age and potential, there are no doubts that their struggles make it difficult to continue giving them minutes. McBride is a tremendous defender, but his offense has been putrid this season, as he’s averaging 3.4 points per game on 33.1% shooting from the field and 25.8% shooting from behind the arc. He certainly has the potential to be a solid player in this league, but if the Knicks want to keep winning they can’t have such an offensive liability taking up minutes when the rest of the bench struggles to score.
As for Toppin, he has struggled since he returned from injury aside from his recent performances and he is not being utilized properly in the slightest, but this is more on Tom Thibodeau than Toppin. Regardless, it is going to be difficult for the Knicks to continue winning when three of their four main bench players are struggling this heavily.
3 trades the Knicks can make ahead of the deadline to bolster their bench unit
#3: Bringing in an NBA villain that would improve the Knicks’ shooting
This is a trade I suggested in a previous article, and I think the Knicks should go for it if offered because the two players they’re receiving could play some pretty solid roles in New York.
I know fans may not necessarily like Grayson Allen all that much, which is understandable, but I don’t think many can doubt that he’s a pretty darn solid player that would improve a key aspect of this Knicks team.
This season, Allen is averaging 10.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 39.7% from three on 4.6 attempts. While his defense hasn’t been the strongest this season, his offense more than makes up for it.
Not only is Allen the better player compared to Reddish, but he is far more consistent and also receives rotational minutes. Reddish may have more potential, which is why the Bucks are reportedly interested in him, but he will never reach said potential playing for Tom Thibodeau.
In addition to receiving Allen, the Knicks would also be getting Serge Ibaka, a player they are supposedly interested in as injury insurance for Mitchell Robinson. Ibaka is more of a throw-in for the Bucks to get rid of since the two agreed on finding a trade.
The Knicks rank 26th in three-point percentage this season, shooting 34.5% from behind the arc as a team, and in today’s NBA, that’s unacceptable and the front office must look for an upgrade. Allen could be that guy for the right price.
Normally a player like Allen would be worth more than two seconds, but after the Rui Hachimura trade, it’s hard to scale players’ values. The most the Knicks should send out for Allen is the Bucks’ 2025 first-round pick, as it likely won’t have much value considering how dominant of a team they are and likely still will be in two years.