Ranking the Knicks' best assets as NBA trade deadline nears

For New York Knicks fans new and old, the current iteration of this ballclub is as promising of a group as this organization has seen in quite some time.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Tows are All-NBA players.

Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are three of the best wings in basketball to not make an All-Star Game.

New York (33-17) is winning a lot of basketball games.

Both the present and immediate future are bright.

Advertisement This organization has come a long way from a starting lineup of Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., Michael Beasley and Luke Kornet.

As I do every year, Ive put together a column evaluating a franchises best 10 assets/trade chips as the NBA trade deadline nears.

For the first time, Im doing this as the Knicks beat writer.

This isnt a list stating that the Knicks are looking to or will trade these players.

Its also not a ranking of the teams current best players.

Its more of a guide to shed light on how valuable each player/draft pick is to the organization at this point and how theyre valued by the rest of the league.

Additionally, if New York were to take yet another big swing on a star player, this will give you an idea of who will have to go to make that happen.

Lets get into it.

The untouchable (Well, Luka Doncic got traded, so who knows) 1.

Jalen Brunson Aside from the fact that Brunson is one of the best players in the NBA and, at 28, in his prime, the Knicks have so much invested in the All-Star on a personal level.

Its hard to envision a world where team president Leon Rose would consider trading Brunson.

The two have a personal relationship that dates back to Brunsons childhood, when Rose, a former agent, represented his father, Rick Brunson, who is now on Tom Thibodeaus coaching staff.

Much like the way Dallas Mavericks fans have revolted after Doncic was traded , seemingly, overnight, I imagine Knicks fans would storm 33rd Street with pitchforks if Brunson were traded in that way.

Hes been the face of this revitalization of New York basketball and is beloved by the fanbase.

No game passes without M-V-P! chants when hes on the floor.

All things considered, Brunson is this teams most valued and coveted asset.

Not quite untouchable but were not breaking this up anytime soon 2.

Mikal Bridges The Knicks gave up a handful of first-round picks to get Bridges this summer.

If they were to ever trade him, surely theyd want to recoup those picks back or get equivalent value.

Bridges hasnt been the second-best New York player this season.

Thats not what this is.

However, hes a valuable 3-and-D wing who doesnt miss games and is only 28 years old.

Every team in the league wants that.

Factor in what the Knicks paid for Bridges and how coveted his archetype is, and he comes in at No.

2.

Advertisement 3.

Karl-Anthony Towns Towns has a long, decorated offensive career, and this season is up there with the best of them.

Towns, who was acquired just before training camp, is averaging 24.3 points and a career-best 13.6 rebounds while shooting 42.4 percent from 3 and 53.5 percent from the field.

He wont turn 30 until next season.

Towns massive contract he just started his four-year, $220 million extension is a big reason why the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to move him, and given his injury history and defensive limitation, its understandable.

However, hes still one of the most offensively gifted players in the NBA.

Ive got him third on this list because the Knicks got him from the Timberwolves for the equivalent of two first-round picks (Im valuing Donte DiVincenzo as a first, as I believe Minnesota did) and unwanted salary.

Id imagine New York could get something similar if it ever tried to flip Towns in the next few years.

4.

Josh Hart Some could make the case that Hart has been the most consistent player on the Knicks roster this season.

Hes a triple-double threat every night and among the league leaders in that department.

Teams win titles with players like Hart.

Every team wants a low-maintenance offensive player who defends, hustles, cuts, rebounds, etc.

Hart is in the first year of a four-year, $81 million deal, and a lot of teams would be interested in his services if that time ever came.

However, given his impact on winning and relationship with Brunson, its hard to envision a world where Hart is playing anywhere else in the foreseeable future.

In talking to people around the league, I could see the Knicks getting a solid return for Hart if that time ever came.

5.

OG Anunoby The reason I have Anunoby lower here is because of his five-year, $212 million contract and injury history .

Hes one of the best defensive wings in basketball and is a career 37.5 percent 3-point shooter.

Like Hart and Bridges, Anunoby would fit in on any team in the NBA.

Its hard to ignore the injury history, though, and a few of the teams I have talked to have concerns about that.

The 27-year-old has only played in 60-plus games once since the 2020-21 season.

Advertisement The non-player asset 6.

2030 first-round swap The Knicks dont have a treasure chest of draft picks after making trades for Anunoby, Bridges and Towns over the past year.

Their most valuable draft pick left is a 2030 swap.

This pick is valuable because were five years away from that draft and the Knicks core is all in their late 20s.

Teams value this pick, and I dont think New York moves it unless its for a true difference-maker.

GO DEEPER Knicks at the NBA trade deadline: What could a trade involving Mitchell Robinson look like? Can we salvage this? 7.

Mitchell Robinson A healthy Robinson would be higher on this list.

Hes one of the better defensive bigs in basketball.

However, hes struggled with availability throughout his career and has not played this season after undergoing ankle surgery last May.

On Monday, Thibodeau said Robinson has been cleared to begin taking contact.

Thats a good step.

With the NBA trade deadline this week, league sources told The Athletic that the Knicks are open to moving Robinson.

However, several teams have expressed concerns about his health moving forward.

New York, to this point, has shown no interest in attaching assets to get off Robinson, league sources say.

A healthy Robinson would bring back a solid return for New York.

Him being healthy is a big part of the problem and why the Knicks appear to be a bit jammed up at this deadline.

Most likely to be traded 8.

Precious Achiuwa Achiuwa signed a one-year, $6 million deal last offseason to return to the Knicks and waived his no-trade clause in the process.

Hes had some good moments for New York as of late, but given the nature of his contract and the little flexibility New York has to make a move, its always felt likely that Achiuwa would be on the move.

That may not be the case, as the Knicks do need frontcourt depth if Robinson is still some time away from returning, but league sources say New York has been scouring the backup big market.

Achiuwa is a solid player on an expiring deal.

Unfavorable pick 9.

Heavily protected Wizards first-round pick New York owns a Wizards pick that is top-10 protected in 2025 and top-eight protected in 2026 before turning into two second-round picks.

Have you seen the Wizards? Itll turn into two second-round picks.

The Rooks 10a and 10b.

Tyler Kolek and Pacome Dadiet The Knicks rookies havent played much this season and likely wont for the rest of the year.

I believe the organization thinks fondly of both Kolek and Dadiet, but theyre not relying on them right now.

Given New Yorks limited assets, I could see teams looking to add one of these two if a trade were to ever materialize with New York.

(Photo of Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson: Nathaniel S.

Butler / NBAE via Getty Images).

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