In an impressive show of resolve and depth, the Knicks have gone 4-2 in six games without Mitchell Robinson, their starting center who went down with injury amidst an All-NBA Defensive Team season.
Despite the strong showing, their center rotation without Robinson is still a major question mark, especially if they have to go into the postseason like this, which is looking increasingly likely.
Jericho Sims was the third-string man until he got hurt as well, and the Knicks have now signed 38-year-old Taj Gibson to man the backup minutes. As respected a veteran as he is, this isn’t tenable for a longer period of time, and the Knicks will need to find an upgrade at the position.
They can do so via trade or free agency, and are requesting a Disabled Players Exception from the league to have extra cap space to do it. There’s also added incentive looking at Isaiah Hartenstein’s play in Robinson’s absence and his impending free agency.
On the trade front, there are a number of targets either via existing contracts or the DPE. Topping their list should be Clint Capela, Nic Claxton and Naz Reid.
The three are plausibly obtainable and are starter quality or better. Capela and Claxton are on middling teams with intriguing prospects behind them, while Reid is Minnesota’s third large contract at center.
The first two fill that rim-running and rim-protection Tom Thibodeau mold, while Reid adds some range into the mix. New York has some protected firsts to play with in pursuit of them.
There are also smaller acquisitions available to them in Andre Drummond, Alex Len and Kelly Olynyk who are three very dependable bench bigs.
Drummond is a monster rebounder, Len a solid defender and Olynyk is a sharpshooter from the position. It’s possible the Knicks could simply assume these salaries without much attached.
Recent winning might not save Chicago from selling their season, including Drummond, Len is redundant and not getting much time in Sacramento, while the Jazz could look to cash in on Olynyk. These likely won’t be long term solutions, but could bridge the gap with Robinson out.
