The Knicks’ connection to Taj Gibson has always made sense on a human level. He’s been around the team in two separate stretches over four seasons, and fans have long appreciated the toughness, selflessness, and love for New York that he brought with him.
Now that Gibson has been traded to the New Pelicans on Tuesday and is expected to be waived, per Will Guillory of The Athletic, the idea of another reunion has naturally popped up again. New York’s need for a third-string center has been obvious enough that Gibson’s name has entered the conversation. On paper, there’s a case for it: he knows the room, he’s dependable, and he’d be ready if called upon.
But the Knicks should resist the sentimental move.
This is not the same team that could afford to sign players because the story felt right. As defending champions, New York is carrying the pressure that comes with being the team everyone is chasing. The Eastern Conference is deeper and stronger than it was a year ago, and this season is expected to be even more demanding than the run to the first Finals.
That means the Knicks need to treat the back end of the roster like it matters, because it does. They should be looking for the best available players, not the most familiar faces.
Someone who can bring a skill the team actually needs, or at least has room to grow into a bigger role. Gibson, for all the respect he’s earned, doesn’t really offer that kind of upside.
There’s no question he can still help in a narrow situation. He has postseason experience, and in an emergency he could give New York some defense and rebounding to steady things for a stretch.
But the ceiling is the problem. The Knicks already have Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, and the concern behind them is availability.
Towns has been relatively healthy in New York, but lingering knee pain and well-documented foul trouble have been part of the picture. Drummond, meanwhile, has missed a handful of games, and the 33-year-old is not getting younger.
That’s why the player behind them probably shouldn’t be a 41-year-old who hasn’t played more than 52 games or topped 1000 minutes since 2020.
A training camp invite? That’s possible.
But the better bet is that there are younger and better options out there, and the Knicks should give those players a shot first. Gibson could still make sense only as a last resort if other options fall through or injuries pile up.
Even then, the team would be wiser to keep searching before circling back to the familiar name.
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Karl-Anthony Towns now sits at the center of that math in New York. The Knicks may end up negotiating with a player who has plenty of leverage and a future payday in mind, even as the team tries to preserve room for other key pieces, and the cap squeeze around Towns is only getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Champion Could Extend A Rare Streak In Philadelphia
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Jones arrives after back-to-back championships, first with Oklahoma City in 2025 and then with New York the following year, a rare kind of rsum for a player still looking to carve out his next opportunity. The question now is whether that momentum carries into Philly and whether his new situation can turn a brief stop into something that keeps the streak alive. [Read more 🡒]