Jose Alvarado Opens Up About Knicks Trade

Jose‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ Alvarado's arrival to the New York Knicks seemed like destiny catching up to him at last. The hometown kid from Brooklyn, who the Knicks acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans at the February trade deadline, talked about the emotional rollercoaster of returning home to play for the team.

Without holding back his emotions, Alvarado revealed his feelings about the homecoming in an interview shared by Stefan Bondy. When asked about his initial reaction to the trade news, Alvarado was candid about the complex feelings that came with it.

"I mean just it was a lot of you know mixed emotions I heard the news obviously it was great news, you know coming back home and stuff," Alvarado said. "So it was exciting, you know, just being here just being in the city that I raised at is a dope feeling and putting the Knicks jersey on. It's pretty surreal for me."

The transition from New Orleans to New York represents more than just a change of scenery for him.

"Obviously we got you know, we got to contend, you know we want to win games and that's what we trying to do and I think I could be part of that," he continued.

Did He Ever Dream of This?

Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Alvarado was asked how long he'd dreamed of playing for his hometown team.

"Yeah, I mean to be honest I can't even say I ever dreamed about this, you know," Alvarado admitted. "I mean, if you know my story, I'm not saying I wasn't gonna make it to the NBA but it was a big question for me, you know, so just to be a be part of the city is like I said, it's just a surreal feeling."

Jose Alvarado on mixed emotions and excitement about joining the Knicks: pic.twitter.com/azy8KkndCf
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) February 8, 2026

Instant Impact in Boston

Alvarado‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ did not hesitate to make his debut Knicks game a highlight against the Boston Celtics on February 8, showing up with the team.

Coming off the bench for 25 minutes, he contributed significantly to the New York's big 111-89 win, with his stats showing that he scored 12 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, gave 2 assists, had 2 steals and blocked 1 shot, all while shooting 5-of-12 from the field.

Jose Alvarado makes his Knicks debut as New York holds Boston to a season-low 89 points and wins 111-89:

12 points
5-12 FG
2 threes
2 assists
2 steals
1 block
+13 pic.twitter.com/Wb1WDfodam
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 8, 2026

Captain Jalen Brunson and Alvarado's pregame interaction was caught on camera. The team's leader was seen giving his new teammate some advice.

"Most importantly, I want you to play alright? Play free, play smart, you'll see"

Jose: "When we get into games together how do you like it, make it easier for you?"

Cap: "Most importantly, I want you to play alright? Play free, play smart, you'll see"pic.twitter.com/TiJT1mDp2X
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 8, 2026

Josh Hart praised the performance on Twitter, posting "José, José, José, José!" after the game.

Alvarado is quickly demonstrating that he is worthy of the bright lights of Madison Square ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌Garden.

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