When the New York Knicks finalize their regular-season roster, don’t be fooled into thinking their personnel is set. All signs continue to point toward them going after another center who’s an upgrade off the trio of Tony Bradley, James Wiseman, and Drew Eubanks they’re choosing from now.
Frankly, given Andre Drummond’s defensive limitations, the Knicks may be in the market for a primary backup to Karl-Anthony Towns. To take it one step further, the unexpected standoff between KAT and the organization in extension talks should expedite New York’s search. A backup isn’t going to replace him, but grabbing a viable big under contract beyond this season helps plan against nightmare scenarios.
Still, the Knicks need the market for gettable centers to develop before they can pounce on it. That doesn’t typically happen at the beginning of the year. Teams are more inclined to wait out the unofficial start of trade season (December 15)—unless, of course, their 2026-27 campaign goes off the rails early on.
With that in mind, here are five prospective trade partners New York should want to struggle out of the gate.
Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte exists in a weird space following its LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges trades. No one expects them to contend, but there’s this thought that they could be better off in the short term with a more egalitarian approach and souped-up spacing.
The Knicks better hope that’s not true. Both Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner become more gettable if it’s not. Neither feels untouchable with Naz Reid and Hannes Steinbach already in the mix, but you have to believe the Hornets will be more open for business if they discover they’re not even play-in worthy inside the loaded Eastern Conference.
Memphis Grizzlies
Whether the Knicks should consider dangling their 2033 first-round pick to go after Zach Edey is debatable. He would certainly protect them against Towns leaving after this season, but his availability through two years leaves much to be desired.
This conversation is moot so long as the Grizzlies maintain their mystery-box appeal. It becomes a more meaningful discussion if they get blitzed to open the season. Memphis may not have immediate plans to rack up wins, but if a frontcourt pairing of Edey and Cam Boozer isn’t athletic enough to hang, it opens the door for the former to get traded.
Phoenix Suns
Khaman Maluach is the heir apparent at center in Phoenix. That’s potentially good news for anyone sniffing around the ultra-versatile (and ultra-cheap) Oso Ighodaro.
While not the strongest body at the 5, Ighodaro’s screening, passing, and defensive versatility render him a needle-mover. Amid his own limitations (rebounding and scoring), he makes everyone around him better. The Suns have the on-off splits to prove it.
To that end, Phoenix won’t be looking to ship him out as long as it’s trying to maximize wins. But last year’s plucky squad feasted on below-.500 opponents. Those victories will be harder to come by with fewer teams tanking, and the entire league now familiar with the Suns’ try-hard style under head coach Jordan Ott.
Portland Trail Blazers
Portland has more centers than it can hope to play, and is also highly combustible when looking at the prospective Ja Morant fit. It isn’t particularly hard to envision the Blazers belly-flopping relative to last season’s success.
In the event they do, Donovan Clingan will likely remain off-limits. For their part, the Knicks don’t have the expendable contracts to go after Robert Williams III. But the sweet-shooting Micah Potter lands right in their wheelhouse.
Even a flier on sophomore Yang Hansen would be worth a look. His passing has yet to pop at this level, but he’s delivered extended glimpses into better physicality and playmaking during summer-league and G-League stints.
Sacramento Kings
Since no one expects the Kings to be good anyway, it’s tough to imagine what failure looks like. Few would be surprised if Sacramento opened the season 2-8 or 1-9. Inevitable face-planting still counts, though.
If the Kings are as bad as everyone thinks they are, they’ll have an even harder time moving Domantas Sabonis, whose value presumably won’t have increased. And if they’re still playing Maxime Raynaud as the primary backup, it’s an invitation for the Knicks to call about Dylan Cardwell.
The 24-year-old is beyond limited on offense; defenses don’t guard him. But he can make passes out of the short roll in space, which the Knicks offer in spades. More importantly, he’s a malleable defensive menace, worker-bee on the offensive glass, and on the books for a combined $7.4 million through 2028-29.
So basically, the Knicks should be hoping that the Kings continue to Kangz.
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