With their in-season shakeup that shifted away from the double-big starting lineup, the New York Knicks now have Mitchell Robinson serving as Karl-Anthony Towns' backup at center.
Now, with the February 5 trade deadline rapidly approaching, it is being reported that they are actively looking for a backup for their backup.
In a recent intel dump by NBA Insider Jake Fischer, it was revealed that while it's been well documented that the Knicks have been in the market for an established and battle-tested veteran guard to serve as Jalen Brunson's understudy in the rotation, word on the street is that they are also interested in bolstering their frontcourt depth.
In many ways, this goal is far more vital that adding extra backcourt talent.
Knicks understand Mitchell Robinson is hard to rely on
Throughout his eight-year tenure with the Knicks, Robinson has established himself as a beloved member of the organization.
From his elite shot-swatting abilities to his otherworldly rebounding skills, the big man's impact on this team over the years has been hard to ignore.
Unfortunately, however, so, too, have his injury woes, as he's played in over 60 games just three times and under 40 four times throughout his career.
Considering this, along with how their frontcourt as a whole has fared as of late, it should come as no surprise that Leon Rose and company have an interest in adding on more firepower to this area of the depth chart ahead of this year's deadline.
The only question is, who can they realistically add?
It's not as if the Knicks are flush with ample assets or have a substantial amount of salary space at their disposal.
In all likelihood, their most realistic trade chip will be Guerschon Yabusele, someone they hope to flip into a more desirable depth piece. Of course, with the way he's been playing in his first few months donning the white, orange, and blue threads, his stock has never been lower, meaning it's hard to believe any team will cough up something substantial to acquire him.
Perhaps they'll get lucky via the trade route. Maybe they'll simply wait to scour the buyout market following February's cut-off.
Regardless of how they accomplish their goal of talent bolstering, it's undeniable that the title-hungry Knicks need to bring on more heads to their big man arsenal before the playoffs begin, especially considering the fact that, as of this moment, the oft-unavailable Mitchell Robinson is essentially their lone backup option.