The New York Knicks are in a strange spot ahead of the trade deadline. The team doesn't have any brutally glaring needs but could certainly use reinforcements in several areas. The Eastern Conference is as open as it might be for several seasons, making these upcoming playoffs a crucial opportunity to take advantage of. Ahead of February 5's deadline to make deals, SNY's Ian Begley was asked about what the team's plans are. He said the Knicks will likely trade offseason signing Guerschon Yabusele and continue to monitor Jose Alvarado, Keon Ellis, and Naji Marshall's situations.
Begley reveals Knicks' relatively quiet deadline plans
After addressing the likelihood that Karl-Anthony Towns is involved in any pre-deadline trades, the insider went on to discuss Yabusele and whether or not the Knicks move him. He predicted that the Frenchman will be on another team after 3 p.m. ET on February 5, naming the San Antonio Spurs as a potential landing spot.
"I think Guerschon Yabusele, I think when this thing hits the buzzer on the deadline day, he'll be with another team. I think they'll figure out where to send him. San Antonio, I'm keeping an eye there because Victor Wembanyama, they played together on the French National Team," Begley said on SportsNite.
It makes sense for Wembanyama's Spurs to be the team that picks up Yabusele, especially with 22-year-old former first-round draft pick Jeremy Sochan's name consistently surfacing in trade rumors. Begley finished by throwing out names of potential trade targets that the Knicks are monitoring, giving fans a chance to do the same.
"There are other ancillary moves like maybe a Jose Alvarado to bolster the bench, a guard who can defend pretty much full-court and can bring energy. And I think the Knicks, depending on what the price is, Naji Marshall, Keon Ellis, I think they'll continue to check in with teams on those two players and others, and see where the price ends up as you get closer to that deadline in early February," the experienced scribe said of the Pelican, Maverick, and King.
DailyKnicks' Dan Favale posited in late December that Marshall was the perfect Knicks trade target, saying that New York should "spam" Dallas' front office with offers for the wing. It would technically be a homecoming for Marshall, with the 28-year-old having been born and raised in Atlantic City, NJ.
Because of Marshall's salary, a trade for him would all but require the inclusion of Mitchell Robinson. The team would need a plan to replace the value the longest-tenured Knick brings to the center position, particularly given his rim protection. Maybe the answer is in Josh Hart's latest challenge to Towns.