The New York Knicks have had to get creative this offseason when retooling their roster for a hopeful repeat championship bid.
Owner James Dolan made clear that his team will not go above the second apron, and it certainly put Leon Rose and company in a bit of a bind when it came to retaining some key free agents.
Long-time center Mitchell Robinson is gone, having signed a free agent deal with the Boston Celtics. But Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara are all back with New York.
To replace Robinson, the Knicks went out and signed veteran center Andre Drummond, a player who was similar skills to their former backup center, but isn’t as good.
Still, the Knicks only have two centers currently on the roster, and they’ll need a third to truly round out their bench.
Knicks Floated as Trade Destination for Kel’El Ware
When examining the New York Knicks’ options for depth at center, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn floated Milwaukee Bucks center Kel’El Ware as a trade target, despite the fact that he was just a key asset in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
“This is my ultra aggressive backup center idea for the Knicks: Offer the Bucks a 2032 swap and a 2033 unprotected first for Kel’El Ware,” wrote Quinn in a post on X.
“CAA guy. Two cheap years left. Ultra-talented. Get him in a winning culture, try to develop him into the long-term 4 once Hart ages out.”
With Rose at the helm of the Knicks organization, his team will always be linked to any and every CAA client, a sports agency Rose was associated with for his entire career before taking the reins in New York.
Ware would be an interesting prospect for the Knicks. Quinn speculates that he could be a long-term option for New York at power forward, but it feels like the proper spot for him is at the five.
The 15th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft is young and developing as a defensive anchor, but his offensive skill set is tantalizing.
Despite being a seven-footer, Ware has shown the ability to be a fairly consistent perimeter threat. He shot 39.5% from three-point range during the 2025-26 season on three attempts per game.
Not only would he be a solid piece off the bench, but he would provide similar spacing to what Karl-Anthony Towns currently gives the Knicks.
Would the Bucks Trade Kel’El Ware?
While Ware would be a dream addition for the New York Knicks, considering their current lack of depth at the center position, it feels unlikely the Milwaukee Bucks would actually trade their new center.
Despite getting a solid return in the trade package floated by Quinn, the Bucks got plenty of draft capital in the Antetokounmpo deal, and probably aren’t dying for more unless they were getting back some of their own.
Ware is one the key building blocks they’re hoping to retool their core around alongside Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr., and is almost certainly not on the trade block.
New York will likely have to look elsewhere for their final addition, particularly at center.
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