Despite using their bench incredibly sparingly, the New York Knicks are in a great position moving into the heart of the NBA season. At 16-10, they have jumped over the Orlando Magic for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.
They have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA, but their defense, especially under the basket, could use some work. Karl-Anthony Towns is having one of the best years of his career, but the Knicks do not have a proven backup behind him.
Mitchell Robinson, who started 58 games in New York last year, is expected to be out well past the New Year. With only unproven youngsters behind Towns on the depth chart, the Knicks need to prepare for the worst and make a move.
New York has been linked to Walker Kessler, Jonas Valančiūnas, Robert Williams III and other solid backup options, but with limited draft capital and a lot of their money tied up in stars, the Knicks can’t easily make a move for even an average salary.
Instead, the Knicks should target a cheap player on a bad team, like the New Orleans Pelicans. Owed $2 million this year, the Knicks could swap rookie Tyler Kolek for Daniel Theis.
Kolek, as promising as he is, will never get minutes with Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride in town, and he could eventually take over as a floor general in The Big Easy if all goes well. Theis, meanwhile, is averaging 3.5 points and 3.4 rebounds for the Pelicans this season.
While Theis is not a long-term fix if Towns goes down, he can hold his own on both ends of the court and keep the Knicks afloat when the starters get a rare rest.
Trading for him might not be as flashy as adding Valančiūnas or Kessler, but in the hunt for a title, the Knicks can’t be glamorous all the time.
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