The trade deadline is still a month and a half away, but the fun has already started. The Nets traded Dennis Schroder to the Warriors, and the Heat sent Thomas Bryant to the Pacers. Eyes are on another move Miami could make before the deadline involving a star.
There is no significant buzz surrounding the New York Knicks because the front office spent most of its assets over the summer. The offseason started with the Mikal Bridges trade and ended with Karl-Anthony Towns becoming a Knick.
New York could make a minor move before the deadline. Cam Payne became trade-eligible on Sunday (Dec. 15), and Precious Achiuwa will be trade-eligible on Jan. 15. Ariel Hukporti and Matt Ryan can be traded on Feb. 5, the day before the deadline. The Knicks have other players they could dangle in trade talks, such as Miles McBride. No, that doesn't mean he should be traded.
There is one player who has reportedly received trade interest. New York Post's Stefan Bondy reported Jericho Sims has "garnered some interest in the trade market."
Knicks backup center Jericho Sims has 'garnered' trade interest
Sims started the regular season as the primary backup center behind Towns with Mitchell Robinson (ankle) and Achiuwa (hamstring) sidelined. He's since found his way out of the rotation.
The 26-year-old has played a combined 11 minutes in the past five games. Sims didn't play at all in wins over the Raptors and Magic.
He had an unexpectedly strong start to the season, particularly his defense, but things took a quick turn. The past few games haven't been as kind to the backup center, who has looked unplayable. Does that mean he'll spend the rest of the season (or his time with the Knicks) out of the rotation? No.
Sims is in the last season of his current contract, meaning he'll be an unrestricted free agent over the summer. However, New York might be reluctant to trade Sims, even though he's on an expiring deal. It's unclear when Robinson will return. ESPN's Shams Charania reported last week that the former starting center will likely remain sidelined until late January/early February.
The Knicks could be in the market for another center before the deadline. The team could hold onto Sims if the right deal doesn't present itself. Or he could be included in a trade for another backup center. It's still early, so it's hard to decipher what New York will do. However, it's noteworthy that Sims has received some interest because it could turn into something more as the deadline nears.