The New York Knicks have shown interest in centers since Mitchell Robinson went down with an injury. He’s expected to miss the rest of the season. According to recent reports by Shams Charania on Run it Back FanDuelTV, the Knicks have shown interest in Karl-Anthony Towns.
However, instead of that deal, NBA Insider Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated believes the Knicks and Golden State Warriors need to make a trade. He notes that the Knicks should trade Josh Hart to the Warriors for Kevon Looney.
“They are playing without starting center Mitchell Robinson, who Charania reported is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season. The Warriors have Kevon Looney, who could be an ideal replacement for Robinson. Looney is an essential player for the Warriors, but rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis has shown he is capable of being the team’s starting center.”
The Warriors’ interest in Josh Hart is due to Gary Payton II being out for a significant amount of time.
“Payton II is an important part of the team, so his absence is a significant loss. Josh Hart, who is currently averaging 7.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest for the Knicks, would be the perfect addition to replace Payton II.”
Does This Trade Make the Knicks Better?
There haven’t been any rumors about Josh Hart potentially being traded. The defensive-minded guard has played his role for New York and will continue to do so with OG Anunoby in town.
One could argue that Anunoby, Donte DiVincenzo, and Hart all serve the same purpose. While different players in their own regards, there’s some redundancy in the Knicks rotations. If the front office believes that it’s an issue, they could move on from Hart, although unlikely.
With the way that Isaiah Hartenstein has played since Robinson went down, there’s not a need for a center. Hartenstein has played the best basketball of his career recently and it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon.
The way he’s playing has caught the eyes of multiple Knicks, including All-Star Julius Randle, who had the following to say, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic:
“I’m impressed with the way he’s protecting the rim, to be honest,” Julius Randle said after the win over the Bulls, on Hartenstein’s performances. “We’re used to Mitch doing that, covering up for our mistakes when we get beat off the dribble. But he’s a monster doing that. And to go up against (Bulls center Andre) Drummond and get 20 rebounds, it’s no slight. He’s been amazing.”
Warriors Need Something to Change Their Season
The Golden State Warriors are in a much different position than the New York Knicks, perhaps something no one would’ve expected to say a few seasons ago. As currently constructed, Golden State is a mess.
It’s not getting better anytime soon as Chris Paul is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after having surgery to repair a fracture in his left hand, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Hart could be a huge help, but it doesn’t make much sense for the Knicks to make this deal unless they feel a need to add a center who isn’t Towns.
