The New York Knicks just capped off an impressive 2022-23 campaign that saw them get back into the postseason and win their first playoff series in a decade. Now, with momentum on their side, expectations seem to be that the club's front office, led by President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose, will look to capitalize on their recent success and bolster the roster's assortment of talent to better their odds of contention as soon as next season.
Of course, considering the highest contract offer New York will be able to shell out to any outside impending free agent is roughly $12 million annually, their best odds of adding a true difference-maker this summer are likely to come by means of the trade market.
Flush with ample draft capital and a number of impressive young players, the Knicks could easily piece together a package worth the while of a bevy of teams across the association, and, recently, an anonymous league executive told Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney that the front office could be open to including big man Mitchell Robinson into a ‘bigger’ trade package this summer.
“They have felt out the market on him because he is an old-school kind of center—good rim protector and rebounder, but he does not want to shoot past three or four feet and he’s not much of a passer. The Bulls had some interest but it’s doubtful that would come back up. Dallas, too, but again, there just are no pieces that match up. There is not much of a trade market out there for him, so he is their guy. They could move him along if it is part of a bigger package, though,” the executive told Deveney.
Though his game is certainly limited, the concept of acquiring a talent such as Mitchell Robinson could be enticing for several organizations heading into 2023-24, and, today, we at ClutchPoints discuss two teams, in particular, that should be considered rather realistic landing spots in the event that he's traded by the Knicks.
Realistic trade destination No. 1) Minnesota Timberwolves
Since being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Knicks have been linked to several star players across the association that are viewed as being potentially available this summer.
Of the bunch, however, the one name that has seemingly received the label of being the most realistic trade option has been Minnesota Timberwolves big man, Karl-Anthony Towns. Since his former CAA agent Leon Rose signed on with New York back in March of 2020, rumblings have consistently surfaced regarding a possible reunion between him and the center in the Big Apple.
Now, with yet another early ouster for the T-Wolves coupled with Towns' questionable comments made on the decision-making from the franchise, some are starting to believe a deal could be closer than ever and, per Sean Deveney, sources have indicated that a Knicks pursuit of Karl-Anthony Towns via trade would be a mutual desire for the two parties.
Of course, in order for New York to entice Minnesota to part with their franchise cornerstone, a noteworthy package would need to be assembled. This would certainly have to include a combination of draft picks and promising young talents, and the latter category is where a guy like Mitchell Robinson comes into play.
While serving as the team's full-time starting center for the last several seasons, on several occasions the 25-year-old has publicly complained about how he's been utilized within head coach Tom Thibodeau's system.
With this, in the event of a Towns trade, the starting pivot position would automatically go to the All-Star, which would then almost certainly see his disdain for his role reach an all-time high, thus insinuating that perhaps it would be in the best interest of both he and the organization for Robinson to be sent outbound to the Timberwolves in a hypothetical package.
Realistic trade destination No. 2) Phoenix Suns
As noted already, there have been several star players found linked to the Knicks as being possible summer trade targets, but perhaps an even bigger storyline pertains to the possibility of the franchise looking to offload their own star, Julius Randle.
After a highly underwhelming postseason run, there have been many to suggest New York should part ways with the 28-year-old big man and start anew with Jalen Brunson as the club's unquestioned focal point.
Whether such a move will actually wind up happening is truly anyone's guess at this point in time, however, in the event that he is dealt Sportsbetting.ag has the Phoenix Suns with one of the highest odds of ultimately landing him via trade (+400).
Considering they are also reportedly open to offloading their own big man in Deandre Ayton, perhaps there could be an opportunity for a swap and, should this happen, Mitchell Robinson could also find himself heading out to Arizona with his All-NBA teammate.
Clearly, the Suns would need a replacement down at their starting center position if they were to part with Ayton in this exchange, meaning that bringing on the soon-to-be sixth-year big could be an enticing move to make.
In fact, there's an argument to be made that Mitchell Robinson would be a better fit with this current iteration of the Suns, as he's a player who excels at doing the less glamorous things on the court (rebound and defend the rim) and requires minimal touches on offense due to his highly limited scoring abilities, thus allowing the likes of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul to divey up the lion's share of the team's shooting opportunities among themselves.
On top of this, during his tenure with the Knicks Robinson has established himself as one of, if not the best offensive rebounding big in the game, and has averaged 8.1 offensive rebounds per 100 possessions over the last two seasons.
With this, the title-hopeful Suns would not only bring on a new anchor on defense but would be bringing on a player who could aid in improving their second-chance opportunities as well.
Should Phoenix make a run at Knicks star Julius Randle, it would also make sense for them to try and nab a guy like Mitchell Robinson, especially if they cough up Deandre Ayton in the process.
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