Chet Holmgren is set to miss the next eight to 10 weeks with a patellar tendon tear in his right knee, and it’s already looking like the Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to land another big man in his absence. That is not-so-great-news for the New York Knicks, who should already be on the hunt for an Andre Drummond upgrade.
Reading between the lines is potentially fuzzy, but in this case, it’s elementary deduction. If both the Thunder and Knicks need a backup big man, their list of targets will heavily overlap. We already know which team is better equipped to win a joint chase for the same name.
And it’s not the Knicks.
Yes, the Thunder may attempt to land another big
Between Isaiah Hartenstein, Aday Mara, and Jaylin Williams, the Thunder can try to ride out Holmgren’s absence without doing anything. But Chet spends most of his time alongside other bigs these days. It is much harder to play two of Hartenstein, Mara, and Williams at once.
Holmgren is also pursuing a “biological treatment” course for his injury. It was apparently successful, but this does seem like a more experimental direction to take. Even if it’s not, Chet’s history of lower-body injuries could extend the timeline.
Oklahoma City appears to be thinking along the same lines. It was initially going to fill its final roster spot with Ochai Agbaji, but walked it back to consider other options following the Holmgren news.
That’s not something you do unless you’re at least poking around the backup-big market.
The Knicks aren’t outbidding the Thunder for anyone
Any overlap in trade targets for the Knicks and Thunder is an automatic win for the latter. They have all their own first-round picks moving forward, on top of at least three additional selections from other teams.
New York, by comparison, can only deal its 2033 first-round selection. While Oklahoma City has the assets to overpay in a package, the Knicks don’t have that luxury. They’re not surrendering a distant first-rounder for a backup big.
The Thunder also have more room beneath the second apron ($20.6 million) than the Knicks ($370,000). What’s more, they can strike deals without giving up a rotation player—or thanks to their collection of trade exceptions, without giving up any players at all.
New York, on the other hand, will almost assuredly have to jettison someone it’s playing. Attaching second-round picks to Pacome Dadiet is only going to get them so far. Deuce McBride or someone like Jose Alvarado (once he’s trade-eligible) may have to go, too.
By no means does Oklahoma City entering the big-man market preclude New York from making a move. But anything the Thunder do—or even want to do—will invariably take at least one potential Knicks option off the table.
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