Knicks Need to Call Hornets About Center Trade Again After Latest Development

When losing Mitchell Robinson started to look more and more improbable for the Knicks, the Hornets emerged as a potential trade candidate due to them having two big really solid big men in Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

While New York reportedly had interest in Diabata, it didn't materialize into anything. But recent Summer League developments may give the Knicks another reason to revisit a potential trades with Charlotte.

Hornets' early draft pick standout could help Knicks with a trade

Hannes Steinbach, the No. 14 pick in last month's draft, averaged 15.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, and 1.4 apg in five Summer League games for the Hornets. That includes a 27-point, 15-rebound masterclass against the Bucks.

The 6-foot-11 big man did struggle when switched out on to perimeter players, but he was a physical presence around the rim and was one of the bigger standouts during his time on the floor.

It's true that every team would like to have as much talent as possible. A young team like the Hornets would surely like as many options as possible when it comes to choosing the big man to continue building their future around. But there is such a thing as too much talent.

There's a strong argument to be made that even if Charlotte does like all three players, the smart thing for its future would be to sell high on one of them and build up more draft capital, or strengthen a different area of need. The Knicks have seemingly been interested in Diabate for some time now, yet the Hornets don't seem particularly eager to move him.

Could Steinbach's strong summer showing change their mind, though? Diabate is eligible to sign an extention two days before next year's trade deadline. Given the market and his current abilities, he could very well be in play for a deal similar to the four-year $56 million deal Neemis Queta recently got.

Charlotte is just over a month removed from trading away its franchise star LaMelo Ball in an attempt to continue building what they believe sustained success looks like, which relies on cleaner salary books.

As good as Diabate has been, trading the former two-way player for someone like Deuce McBride and possibly picks, could be the kind of move that allows them to do that. Because at the end of the day, barring major injuries, you just cannot possibly find enough minutes for three centers.

That being said, New York faces an uphill battle. Even if all of the above is true, the Hornets could still consider Diabate a pivotal part of their future and have absolutely zero interest in trading him.

And even if the Hornets were open to dealing him, what leverage do the Knicks have? Everybody in the entire league knows that they are still looking for another big man. All it takes is for one of the 28 other teams to offer the Hornets something better. All things considered, it's a long shot.

But never say never. NBA fans have continuously been surprised at the kinds of deals that happen. Every offseason, there are a multitude of deals that nobody saw coming. And we've already seen one this summer that involved the Hornets.

Leon Rose and his team have consistently pulled team altering trades out of their pocket like magicians. The OG Anunoby trade, Mikal Bridges trade, and Karl-Anthony Towns trade all came out of nowhere.

With Steinbach making a statement earlier than some expected, maybe Rose has another trick up his sleeve. Like they did with their much-maligned coaching search of 2025, they should exhaust all options and do their due dilligence.

Add us as a preferred source on Google