The New York Knicks are gearing up for Mitchell Robinson to return to practice this month and take the floor for the first time this season shortly after. However, that does not erase the likelihood that the franchise may look to deal him ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline. Should they opt to part ways with the offensive rebounding extraordinaire, New York knows exactly who they would want to fill his shoes.
Knicks want Wizards’ Jonas Valanciunas in potential Mitchell Robinson trade
According to Forbes’s Evan Sidery, the Knicks desire Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas to man the middle in place of the 26-year-old talent:
“If the Knicks decide to trade Mitchell Robinson, Jonas Valanciunas would become a top target before the deadline, per @IanBegley (on.sny.tv/yIXyyrm),” Sidery reported on X on Tuesday. “A straight swap of Robinson for Valanciunas works, because the Wizards have the necessary cap space.”
Valanciunas could make the Knicks’ bench title-worthy
Valanciunas is a natural scorer at the center position. He alone could reinvigorate New York’s woeful second-unit offense and turn it into a championship product. Valanciunas is averaging 11.6 points per game in 19.8 minutes a night for Washington.
- Knicks have clear backup center plan should they trade injured big man
- Knicks need more ‘huge’ performances from key bench guard
- Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau wants players to tone down the in-game criticism to officials
The Lithuanian five man is earning $9.9 million this season and will take home a total of nearly $20.4 million in each of the following two campaigns. Correspondingly, Robinson is earning $14.3 million this year and will take home $12.9 million on the last year of his current deal next time out.
The dollars and cents could easily work for a swap of the two centers. The Knicks could rely on current backup big man Precious Achiuwa to take a more defensive approach to compensate for what they’d lose from not having Robinson around and Valanciunas playing in his stead. The Wizards in turn would get a talented defender and athlete who could give them quality play without being tied to him for the long-term, especially given his injury-proneness.