The Knicks don’t seem like a team that’s going to sit still when the trade deadline arrives. The real question is how much room they’ll have to maneuver, and Tyler Kolek may be the piece that quietly widens that lane.
Kolek’s recent run has changed the conversation around New York’s backcourt. His play has made Miles McBride and even Jose Alvarado more discussable in trade talks than they were before.
McBride’s name already comes up constantly, but that has more to do with his upcoming free agency than any belief that he’s truly easy to move. Landry Shamet’s rise has also made the picture murkier, with his emergence as the clear-cut “sixth starter” creating overlap.
Still, McBride’s three-and-D value remains real, and the cost to keep him may not be as steep as many assume.
Alvarado is a different story. His name being folded into trade chatter is new, and while he cannot be traded until December 15, the idea would have sounded far-fetched even if he were eligible today.
Kolek’s hold on the backup point guard job is what’s making all of this more interesting. While Alvarado was sidelined with an ankle injury, Kolek grabbed the role and hasn’t given it back, even after JA returned. If that continues, the Knicks may have more flexibility at the deadline than anyone expected.
That flexibility matters because salary matching is where New York can start to build a real deal. The obvious move is still to package Pacome Dadiet-plus-picks.
Dadiet’s $3 million salary is now an expiring contract, and he’s almost certainly headed out by the February 11 trade deadline. But by himself, that number doesn’t buy much, especially since the Knicks can’t take back more salary than they send out.
That’s where Kolek’s emergence becomes useful in a very practical way. At $4.4 million, Alvarado would let New York bring back a player making as much as $7.4 million if paired with Dadiet. If the Knicks are confident enough in Kolek to move McBride too, that outgoing number jumps to $11.4 million.
Not all of that can be spent on one player, because the Knicks still need to end up with 14 players on the roster. Even so, that kind of package would put them in range of names like Day’Ron Sharpe ($10 million), Ty Jerome ($9.4 million), Jalen Smith ($9.4 million), Dean Wade ($9 million), Tre Jones ($8 million), Jaylin Williams ($7.7 million), and more.
For now, though, New York is still in evaluation mode. Kolek has flashed before and then slipped back down the rotation when his flaws caught up to him. Mike Brown and the front office need to see that his turnover problems are truly behind him before they treat him like a stable part of the plan.
There’s also no rush to force the issue. The Knicks can’t even fully explore the more expensive options until Alvarado becomes trade-eligible in December. In the meantime, they can figure out whether their bigger need is a center upgrade from Andre Drummond, a stronger ball-handler to pair with Kolek and Jalen Brunson, or a combo wing who can even slide up to the 5.
Maybe New York follows this path at the deadline, maybe it doesn’t. But the important part is that the path exists now. Kolek’s play has put it there.
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Knicks Are Sending Mikal Bridges A Clear Early-Season Message
Mike Brown has wasted little time sending Mikal Bridges a message this season. The Knicks coach has been pulling the starting wing earlier in games than he did a year ago, a notable shift for a player who signed a four-year contract extension and was expected to remain a central part of New Yorks rotation.
Bridges defense was a major factor in the Knicks playoff run last spring, but Brown has made it clear the bar stays high even for established pieces. With New York trying to defend its NBA title, Bridges will need to shake off his early shooting issues and earn back the kind of closing minutes that usually come with his role. [Read more 🡒]