The New York Knicks should have been passively engaging teams in hopes of adding another piece via trade before Wednesday. But situations evolve quickly in the NBA. Watching the Indiana Pacers land Pascal Siakam in a deal with the Raptors, the Knicks interest in adding to their roster via trade almost certainly increased a few degrees.
Trade details and Pacers' new lineup
On Wednesday, the Pacers pulled off a trade that landed two-time All-Star Siakam in Indiana. All Indiana had to give up was Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, and three first-round picks.
One of those picks is their own 2024 first-rounder, and another is the lesser of a 2024 pick between four teams. So, as of Jan. 18, that translates to 21st pick and the 28th pick in 2024. The third pick involved is the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick.
Indiana's starting five is now as follows: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Siakam, Aaron Nesmith and Myles Turner. Their bench ain’t too shabby either.
Siakam has averaged 21 or more points per game in five consecutive seasons. He is a dangerous post-up player capable of sharing the ball (averaging five assists per game), beating his man off the dribble, shooting from deep, and defending all five positions.
What this means for New York
This is incredibly relevant to the Knicks’, as they are just a half-game ahead of Indiana in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Knicks are presently the fifth seed (24-17). And only three games separate the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic.
The Knicks must hope that Indiana continues to struggle as long as Tyrese Haliburton remains out for with a hamstring injury, as that can help create space between them and the Pacers. Indiana is 2-3 since Haliburton went down on January 8th, but he could return as soon as next week. Another silver lining for New York is their home-heavy schedule, which sees them play a majority of their upcoming games at Madison Square Garden against sub .500 teams.
While the Knicks already completed a trade of their own, adding OG Anunoby, the Pacers’ trade ensures an even tighter Eastern Conference playoff race. New York is 7-2 since adding Anunoby, but there are reasons to believe that the Knicks need more help.
Specifically, Josh Hart and Quentin Grimes are struggling since the the deal, and New York badly misses Quickley’s scoring off the bench.
Why Knicks should consider another move
Finishing seventh or eighth in the East means a trip to the Play-In Tournament, whereas finishing in the top-six means a guaranteed playoff series. The Play-In tournament is single-elimination for the eighth and ninth seed. But ultimately, the event features four teams fighting for two spots, and no one gets a full series to prove anything.
As of Thursday, the Knicks are 24-17, meaning that it is unlikely that they drop to ninth or tenth in the Eastern Conference. Securing the seventh-seed means home court advantage throughout the Play-In tournament and securing the eight-send means home court advantage if they lose the first game against the seventh-seed.
New York is currently 5.5 games ahead of the ninth-seeded Chicago Bulls and 6.5 games ahead of the tenth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. But the Knicks are obviously thinking bigger than the Play-In tournament.
While the Anunoby was the first big trade of the season, yesterday’s deal between Indiana and Toronto kicked the trade deadline into high gear. Will the Knicks respond with another trade? We’ll all be impatiently waiting for an answer.
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