Though there may still be a couple of days remaining between now and the February 5 trade deadline, considering the number of moves already being made league-wide, the New York Knicks may want to jump in on the action sooner rather than later should they wish to bolster their roster.
A recently proposed deal by Tom Haberstroh may be the perfect place for Leon Rose and company to start.
On Monday, the Yahoo Sports reporter constructed a low-risk, high-reward trade with the Phoenix Suns that would see the Knicks swap their failed free-agent experiment, Guerschon Yabusele, for much-needed, low-cost center depth.
New York Knicks receive: Guerschon Yabusele
Phoenix Suns receive: Nick Richards
Knicks urged to swap Guerschon Yabusele for Nick Richards at deadline
Though perhaps not the blockbuster transaction some fans are dying to see, as recently argued, the Knicks might not need to make a big splash this trade season in order to come away as major winners.
Maybe all they actually need is a small move to help bolster a few areas of concern within their rotation.
Considering the up-and-down play of Karl-Anthony Towns this season, along with the always questionable availability of Mitchell Robinson, the center position is undoubtedly the first place New York's front office should be looking to address at the deadline, and, to Haberstroh, Nick Richards is someone they should consider taking a flier on.
Throughout his six seasons in the association, the pivot has established himself as a quality rebound gobbler and shot swatter who can get out on the break and throw down ferocious lobs on alley-oop sets.
Sadly, through 28 games played with the Suns here in 2025-26, Richards has been buried in the rotation due, in large part, to the fact that two recent first-round picks in Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach reside ahead of him on the depth chart.
Last year, however, when receiving consistent action on the hardwood, the former Kentucky product found himself dropping solid per-game averages of 9.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in roughly 60.0 percent shooting from the floor.
A move such as this would provide the Knicks with desired depth at the five spot while parting ways with Yabusele, a task that has been high up on their to-do list for months.
Add on the fact that he's on an expiring deal and that it wouldn't cost them any draft capital to execute, and this proposal by Haberstroh is as close to a no-brainer for New York as it gets.