Why The New York Knicks Should Stand Pat At The NBA Trade Deadline

The New York Knicks have made some type of deal prior to the NBA trade deadline in every single season that Leon Rose has steered the organization. In 2021 he made a move for Derrick Rose to help fortify the guard position. In January of 2022 they were floundering and looked for a spark in Cam Reddish to see if he could become an upside play for an organization that seemed to be falling flat. Last season they dealt for Josh Hart and the team took off like a rocket ship; amassing 17 wins over the final two months of the season to help the team secure home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. This season they made the largest trade in the team’s history since they acquired Carmelo Anthony in 2011 by nabbing OG Anunoby from Toronto.

The trade has left the Knicks with many good things: an incredible record (9-2 in the past 11 games), a superb starting lineup and a defense that is stifling opponents left and right. The vibes are good in New York, but they’ve become so good that some people have been dreaming of something bigger for the team. Maybe a chance at the three seed? Another advancement to the conference semifinals? Or, as Zach Lowe suggested back in September, maybe a trip to the NBA Conference Finals?

The fun is very real, but the logistics to get to that point are as difficult as ever. The Boston Celtics are probably the best team in the NBA and the Milwaukee Bucks still boast a behemoth of a team. The Philadelphia 76ers have the 3rd best point differential in the NBA and the Miami Heat still have the number of the Knicks after beating them in the playoffs last year.

The Knicks have an area of weakness behind Jalen Brunson. The second unit offense is primarily reliant on transition buckets and lacks a true playmaker. Miles “Deuce” McBride has filled in admirably but is best suited as a catch and shoot player that can attack off the bounce.

But the dominant win against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday showcased exactly why this team may be best served to stand pat at the NBA trade deadline. Here are a few reasons why:

The Starting Lineup

The starting lineup for the New York Knicks is absolutely electric (Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Isiah Hartenstein). So far this season they’ve played a total of 169 minutes together and during those minutes they have a 19.3 net rating, which is the 4th best mark in the NBA for lineups that have played over 100 minutes together.

It’s likely that they’ll be able to cobble together major minutes with this group when the playoffs roll around. Over the past few seasons the Knicks have been able to crush teams with a ruthless backup unit. That gets mitigated in the playoffs when starting players can be relied on for forty minutes or more. The Knicks should be able to maximize a starting lineup that is wreaking havoc on the league with 3-pointers, suffocating defense and an improving symbiosis.

The Defense

It’s been quite evident that the Knicks needed to add size. The team was giving up 115.5 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 20th in the NBA before Anunoby arrived. Since he started playing for the team on January 1st? They rank 1st with a 103.3 figure. The number does have some uncertainties, though.

They aren’t creating a tremendous amount of turnovers but they’re consistently ranking as one of the best in the league at rebounding the basketball. Teams may be shooting at an unsustainably low clip, but it should still result in the Knicks being a top end unit. The backup group with McBride continues to be strong at defending the perimeter and the likelihood is that the person they would bring in would take time away from him and hurt the overall defense.

Untapped Potential

Quentin Grimes has been bandied about in the rumor mill for a couple of weeks now. The Knicks aren’t necessarily shopping him, but they are actively listening on deals for the 23-year-old.

Grimes showed playmaking chops last season. He had one of the best blow by rates in the NBA last season, and attacked the basket with ferocity. His attempts at the rim have gone down significantly along with his minutes, though.

Allowing Grimes the opportunity to head backup units with some creation juice or amped up secondary ball handling could make a major difference for this team. His evolution down the stretch could allow the Knicks a world in which they not only get a competent offensive initiator but a bulldog on defense, too.

Secondarily, Anunoby typically runs with the second unit when Brunson leaves the floor and he has shown flashes of being able to carry some of the offensive burden. Against the Denver Nuggets he was able to cash in on a couple of jumpers that were self created off the bounce. In a vacuum those shots are inefficient but with a defensive-first second unit they may be exactly the offense the team can live with.

He showed that same capability in crucial moments against the Brooklyn Nets in the 4th quarter on Tuesday night. Baskets that kept the team afloat when Brunson sat on the bench is the ultimate question that is being raised by those that are skeptical that the Knicks can make a serious run in the playoffs.