With Nick Richards now repping the Miami Heat, we have quasi-confirmation on how the New York Knicks will go about adding another big man behind Karl-Anthony Towns: by taking to the trade market.
The evidence has pointed toward this direction for a while. When factoring in available two-way slots, the Knicks have more available roster space than any other NBA team. That isn’t unfinished business you perpetuate just so you can have a training-camp battle between fringe-roster options.
To be sure, this isn’t meant to imply that Richards was the last potential answer. But that is only because he was not a viable answer to the third-big question at all.
More than anything, he was a name, with size, people recognized. And since it doesn’t appear the Knicks ever truly opened that door, there’s only one way they can reasonably plan to acquire another playable center.
The Knicks no longer have any realistic options in free agency
Best of luck to anyone searching for an intriguing free-agency big man for New York to pursue. No such option exists anymore.
Jalen Duren is the best center left on the market. I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but the Knicks are not getting him for the veteran’s minimum that they can offer.
After that, the pool of options is headlined by dudes in their mid-to-late 30s like Mason Plumlee, Kevin Love, Dwight Powell, and Bismack Biyombo. Beyond them, there are players like Drew Eubanks, Olivier Sarr, Xavier Tillman, and Tony Bradley.
Never mind finding a backup-big who can challenge Andre Drumomond for the role of KAT’s primary backup. The above list is questionable even if you’re looking at it through the third-big lens.
Making a trade is officially New York’s best option
All of this points toward the Knicks hitting the trade market, at some point, to beef up their center rotation. It could happen before the season, or during the season, when more centers will be on the chopping block. But rest assured, this type of move is inevitable.
As it should be, too. Because not only do the Knicks need another big, but despite being within $3.3 million of the second apron, which they’re not entering, they have the assets to make a medium-sized swing.
Between Deuce McBride, Pacome Dadiet’s could-be expiring contract, a first-round pick (2033), two first-round swaps (2030 and 2032), and a bunch of second-round selections, the front office has the tools required to go after all sorts of solutions. From under-the-radar names like Dylan Cardwell and Ryan Kalkbrenner to higher-impact options such as Moussa Diabate, Kel’el Ware or maybe, just maybe, someone like Zach Edey, the Knicks have various rocks to turn over.
Granted, New York’s specific big-man target will be a matter of course. It could prioritize a lower-end or placeholder option, and revisit more ambitious fits later in the season.
Regardless of how the Knicks acquire their next center, though, they’ve left a trail of bread crumbs long enough for us to know it’s likely happening via trade. Their decision not to join the Richards hunt is just the latest in a long string of moves and non-moves that prove as much.
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