As the NBA trade deadline approaches in less than a week, one of the teams firmly under the microscope is the one that has done as well as anyone in recent months to cash in its assets and build the right kind of team to fit the organization’s vision: the Knicks.
Problem is, the Knicks are missing a piece. They need a big guy who can chew up space in the middle, and their options in acquiring one are limited. Ideally, they would get Mitchell Robinson back and have him fill that void, but with his lengthy history of injuries to his feet and now, ankle, the Knicks are not sure they can count on Robinson’s return.
Robinson has not played this season after having surgery in May. He was supposed to return in December. Then in January. Now, it’s hopefully February, but it’s fair to wonder if even that is true.
Robinson has an eminently tradeable contract, so the only real choice for New York would be to deal him away, packaged with a second-round draft pick or two, and bring in a big man who can actually be on the floor.
Jonas Valanciunas Was Signed to Be Traded
The most readily available guy who fits that bill is Washington center Jonas Valanciunas, who was signed as a free agent by the Wizards to a three-year deal worth $30 million, though practically speaking, it is essentially a two-year, $20 million contract because 2026-27 is not guaranteed.
The tanking Wizards pretty much signed Valanciunas to trade him. At 11.4 and 8.0 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game, Valanciunas clearly has value, though the Wiz are not going to attract a first-rounder for him. Which is good, because the Knicks do not want to give up draft assets for anyone at the deadline.
But a way around that might be for the Knicks to relinquish their rights to the Wizards’ pick in the next two seasons, a first-rounder whose protections (top 10 this year, top 8 next year) probably mean it won’t convey, anyway. The Wizards would give the Knicks second-rounders in 2026 and 2027 if the pick remains protected.
Thus a deal for Valanciunas would go: Knicks get Jonas Valanciunas; Wizards get Mitchell Robinson, return of their 2025/2026 picks.
Knicks Need Someone Healthy
It’s not a cure-all but it at least gives the Knicks a fighting chance to fix a lineup that is clearly too small to compete in the postseason, if Robinson is injured again. Valanciunas is not a great defender, but he is a legitimate center who has played at least 74 games in each of his last three seasons, and has played 47 games this year.
“The Wizards signed Valanciunas to trade him, and they’ve got a week to do it,” one East GM said. “They don’t want him on the roster beyond next week, and while they’ve tried to get some bidding going on him, no one is giving up a first-rounder. The Knicks might eb able to do the next best thing there.
“And if the Wizards can get Robinson healthy, they might have a guy they can turn around and trade over the summer. It is not the perfect thing for everyone, but it might be the best that both sides are going to do.”
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