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The NBA trade deadline hits on February 5. For New York Knicks fans, that means less than a week of watching rumors swirl and wondering what Leon Rose might actually do.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s name keeps popping up in trade speculation. Karl-Anthony Towns is trending on social media constantly. Even Jrue Holiday got thrown into the mix.
Here’s the thing about trade deadline season: most of what you hear won’t happen.
This team sits at 30-18, riding a five-game winning streak after a rough January slump. Owner James Dolan said earlier this month he believes this roster can win a championship. “We love our team right now,” Dolan told WFAN. “I don’t see us making a big change.”
Some of these rumors are grounded in truth. Others are pure fantasy. Let’s break down what’s real and what’s not before the deadline passes.
Will the Knicks Land Giannis Before the Deadline?
The Knicks are assumed to be aggressive in pursuing Giannis. Milwaukee is listening to offers, and the two-time MVP is reportedly ready for a new home. New York has been his preferred destination for months. The interest is real on both sides.
But the Knicks traded away five first-round picks for Mikal Bridges in the summer of 2024. They can’t send out their own first-rounders right now because of the Stepien rule. But Milwaukee wants everything: all your young players and all your draft picks. What exactly would New York offer that beats Golden State, Miami, or Houston?
Then there’s the Karl-Anthony Towns problem. Most trade packages involve sending him to Milwaukee as the centerpiece. Why would the Bucks want a center averaging 16 points in January on terrible shooting splits? Towns isn’t performing poorly enough to justify dumping him, but he’s not playing well enough to be an attractive piece for a rebuilding franchise either.
Other teams have better offers ready. The Warriors can package Jonathan Kuminga with multiple first-round picks. The Heat have young talent and cap flexibility.
Ruling: Fiction
Is Guerschon Yabusele Getting Traded?
The Knicks are actively shopping Guerschon Yabusele, and multiple teams are in conversations. This one’s actually happening.
Yabusele signed a two-year, $12 million deal using the taxpayer mid-level exception. It hasn’t worked out. Mike Brown barely plays him anymore. His role has shrunk to nothing.
When he does get minutes, the production isn’t there. He’s shooting 39.3% from the field and 29.4% from three. That’s a massive drop from his Philadelphia production last season, where he averaged 11.0 points on 50.1% shooting. The fit just isn’t there in Brown’s system.
The Pelicans need frontcourt depth and make sense as a trade partner. New York might want Jose Alvarado in return for his perimeter defense and ball pressure. Alvarado would give the Knicks exactly what they’re missing: a promising bench player who they can depend on when the core needs rest. Yves Missi is another name that’s come up as a young rim protector behind Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
The Mavericks have Naji Marshall, who fits the defensive wing profile the Knicks desperately need.
Expect this to happen before the deadline passes. The Knicks need roster flexibility.
Ruling: Reality
Will Karl-Anthony Towns Get Moved?
Karl-Anthony Towns is all over trade rumors because of his January struggles. He averaged just 16 points for the month on rough shooting percentages. Fans booed him at Madison Square Garden. Social media exploded with fantasy trades sending him to Milwaukee for Giannis.
Here’s the reality check everyone needs to hear. This is the same team that made the Eastern Conference Finals last year. This is the same core that won the NBA Cup earlier this season.
Towns is going through a rough patch. Every player hits slumps during an 82-game season. Shooting percentages fluctuate. Rhythm comes and goes, especially when adjusting to a new coach’s system. But blowing up the roster when you’re 30-18 and have a lineup that has potential to win a championship doesn’t make sense.
The chemistry issues? Fixable. The defensive struggles? Those improve with better effort and scheme adjustments. Trading Towns now would be a massive overreaction to one bad month.
Dolan’s comments about keeping this group together weren’t just talk. The ownership and front office believe in this core. Towns will be in a Knicks uniform when the deadline passes.
Ruling: Fiction
Can the Knicks Add Jrue Holiday?
The Jrue Holiday rumors sound great on paper. He’s a two-time NBA champion who plays elite perimeter defense and would complement Jalen Brunson perfectly. There’s also the Giannis connection. Holiday won a championship with the Greek Freak in Milwaukee back in 2021. That relationship could help lure Giannis to New York down the road.
But the financials kill this deal before it starts. Holiday makes $32.4 million this season. The Knicks are a second-apron team with almost no financial flexibility. Matching salaries would require trading someone like Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart plus Mitchell Robinson.
That’s gutting significant pieces of your rotation for a 35-year-old guard. The age factor matters. Holiday is still productive, but how much longer does he have at this level?
It’s the same trap Golden State fell into. They added Jimmy Butler to pair with Stephen Curry. Then they added Al Horford for frontcourt depth. Now their roster keeps getting older. The Warriors have Brandin Podziemski as their main young piece. Compared to teams with multiple young stars growing together, their pipeline looks thin.
If the Knicks add both Giannis and Holiday this summer, they risk the same fate. Great in the short term if everyone stays healthy and the chemistry clicks. But what happens when injuries pile up? What happens when age catches up? There’s no pipeline of young players ready to step in. You’ve mortgaged the future for a championship window that might slam shut quickly.
Ruling: Fiction
What Might Actually Happen
The Knicks will likely trade Yabusele before the deadline. That’s the realistic move that makes sense for everyone involved. Everything else is just noise filling up the rumor mill.
Could things change in the next few days? Sure. The NBA trade deadline always brings surprises. But betting on a blockbuster Giannis trade before February 5 is wishful thinking at best.
The pieces don’t fit together right now. The draft assets aren’t there to compete with other offers. The front office seems committed to riding out this core and seeing where it leads.