Trade Deadline: Knicks Favorites to Land Jimmy Butler?
The New York Knicks are inching toward the top of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket after winning all but two of their 16 games in January, capping things off with a 118-103 triumph over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
January's success sets the stage for an interesting week in Manhattan: will the Knicks stand pat come Feb. 8's trade deadline or make a move to further bolster their championship chances? If it's the latter, oddsmakers appear to believe that New York could explore some unexpected avenues.
Vincent Carchietta, USA TODAY SPORTS
Odds released by Bovada (h/t NBACentral on X) give the Knicks the best chance to land Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler, putting them atop the list at +210. The Philadelphia 76ers are right behind them at +225 while the Brooklyn Nets (+475) sit in fourth.
While the idea of the Heat trading Butler seems farfetched ... and the idea of sending him to the rival Knicks even more so ... the defending Eastern Conference champions could consider selling off assets in the wake of an active seven-game losing streak. Miami (24-23) currently sits 2.5 games out of last automatic playoff spot in the East.
If they were to entertain the possibility, the Knicks have plenty of trade assets that they could use to get Butler, including the contract of Evan Fournier and Quentin Grimes, though that would likely only be the beginning. Trading for Butler would likely serve as the long-sought "big ticket" move the Knicks have tried to make and they would probably have to part ways with most of their draft picks acquired over the past few years.
Even though he is a big name and would take a lot of pieces to acquire, Butler would be a perfect fit with the defensive-minded Tom Thibodeau. The six-time All-Star has played for Thibodeau during prior stops with the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, so there is at least one familiar face in New York if the former first-round pick does decide to part ways with Erik Spoelstra and the Heat.
But it's perhaps for the best that trading for Butler is only a pipe dream, no matter the oddsmakers' best intentions: the Knicks (31-17) currently sit third in the Eastern Conference amid an eight-game winning streak and would probably be better off searching for depth in the post, especially after losing Julius Randle to a shoulder injury on Saturday, when they took down Butler's Heat at Madison Square Garden.
As constructed, the Knicks return to action on Thursday night when the Indiana Pacers visit (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
