Though Giannis Antetokounmpo appears to be off the table when it comes to a potential blockbuster trade, considering their championship aspirations, the New York Knicks may still be inclined to make some sort of splashy move ahead of February's deadline should the right player at the right price become available.
Based on recent reports, it seems like one may very well be.
According to Yahoo Sports' Kelly Iko, there's a growing belief among league executives that Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could be "the next domino to fall at some point" amid the ongoing trade rumblings surrounding estranged point guard Ja Morant.
Considering their long-standing interest in the All-Star, this should be more than enough to pique New York's interest.
Knicks could likely land Jaren Jackson Jr. for fraction of Giannis cost
Per our very own Kris Pursiainen's reporting, Leon Rose and company have been highly interested in acquiring the talents of Jackson for some time now.
Considering he's a multi-time All-Star and the league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year who's still only in his mid-20s, it's hard to argue against their intrigue.
Now, though there's no denying that a player like Giannis has more star power and, with his championship pedigree, is perceived as being more capable of helping this team win its first title since 1973, there's a case to be made that JJJ may actually be the better target for an in-season trade.
Simply put, it all comes down to cost.
In order for the Knicks, or any team for that matter, to pull off a deal for arguably the game's best player, they'd almost certainly have to be willing to give up a truckload in exchange. That means coughing up a number of high-impact, core contributors and virtually every available draft asset they have at their disposal.
If they were already rumored to be open to such a move, why wouldn't they be willing to entertain one for Jackson that, with his lower level of stardom and more affordable contract, would require only a sedan-sized package in comparison?
No, the big man is not on the same level as Giannis, but, in many ways, he provides very similar skills to those of the superstar, which, specifically, are ones that Knicks fans believe their team is currently missing.
Here in his eighth season, Jackson once again finds himself posting elite two-way production, as he's dropping stellar averages of 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from distance.
The dream scenario with acquiring the 26-year-old would be to have him be paired alongside Karl-Anthony Towns to formulate a twin-tower tandem down in the frontcourt and, in turn, create an oversized, five-out starting lineup in the process.
On top of this, his arrival would help mask Towns' defensive liabilities, which, since becoming a member of the Knicks last season, have been agonizing at times.
Of course, from a salary-matching standpoint, unless they're willing to trade someone like Mikal Bridges or OG Anunoby instead (an unwise hypothetical), KAT may have to be sent out, along with draft capital, simply to make the finances more manageable.
With the fact that he's far and away a much better defensive player, can still efficiently space the floor, and, arguably the most important of all, it would shed the remaining two-years and $118.1 million of Towns' salary, replacing him with Jackson at the pivot could prove to be well worth it for the Knicks, both in the short and long-run.
All things considered, while owner James Dolan may have just recently gone on record claiming that New York is not expecting to make any big shakeups to their roster anytime soon, should these rumblings by Iko ultimately be true, they may want to seriously rethink their in-season trade strategy.