The trade deadline is only days away, and the New York Knicks are sure to be active in some capacity. While their starting five is set in stone for likely the next few seasons, their bench is in desperate need of some help.
Mitchell Robinson hasn’t played a single game this season with an ankle injury, and it is unclear when he will be able to make his return. In the meantime, they have had to heavily rely on Miles McBride, Cameron Payne, and Precious Achiuwa, who have been better lately but are still the lowest-scoring bench in the league.
A huge mock trade has the Knicks landing two key bench players
Therefore, they will need to find a way to shore up their depth before the Feb. 6 deadline. A massive three-team mock trade proposed by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale has the Knicks sending over Robinson, Tyler Kolek, and a haul of draft capital to land two impactful depth pieces:
Knicks get:
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Kenrich Williams
Bulls get:
- Tyler Kolek
- Mitchell Robinson
- Philadelphia 76ers 2025 first-round pick (top-six protection; top-four protection in 2026 and 2027; turns into Philadelphia’s 2027 second if not conveyed; via Oklahoma City)
- Washington Wizards 2025 first-round pick (top-10 protection; top-eight protection in 2026; turns into Washington’s 2026 and 2027 seconds if not conveyed; via New york)
- 2026 first-round pick (second-most favorable from Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City; via OKC)
- 2027 second-round pick (second most favorable from Houston, Indiana, Miami and Oklahoma City; via New York)
- 2030 first-round swap (top-four protection; via New York)
Thunder get:
- Coby White
- 2028 second-round pick (less favorable from Indiana and Phoenix; via New York)
The trade is a mouthful, but in essence, the Thunder land the best player in the deal with Coby White while the Knicks add to a contending roster and the Bulls get the necessary pieces to jumpstart a rebuild. The Knicks would be adding two very impactful players Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls and Kenrich Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dosunmu and Williams could solve the Knicks’ bench problems
Dosunmu, 25, is in his fourth NBA season, all of which have been with the Bulls. This season, he is averaging a career-high 12.4 points and 4.5 assists per game on 48.5% shooting from the floor and 34% from three. He could be a spark plug off the Knicks’ bench with his ability to score at a high level and provide solid perimeter defense.
Williams, 30, doesn’t see the court nearly as Dosunmu does. With the Thunder this season, he is averaging just 13.9 minutes per game with 5.5 points and 3.1 rebounds. However, the Knicks do need some size and physicality in the frontcourt of the second unit, and at 6-7 and 210 pounds, Williams can provide them exactly that.
Of course, the price tag to bring in these two would be a lot, as they would be parting ways with a promising rookie in Kolek and their best interior defender in Robinson along with three draft picks (one first-rounder and two second-rounders). However, if they want to go all-in and make a winning roster now, this could be a deal they end up making.