Knicks Could Wait for Wizards Trade

The New York Knicks may have a center solution if they are patient enough.

Oct 30, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) gestures after making a 3-point basket in the first quarter against the New York Knicks at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports | Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks have been searching for a long-term center plan this offseason after the team couldn't retain starter Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.

The Knicks couldn't afford to keep Hartenstein after the Oklahoma City Thunder offered him a three-year, $87 million deal while New York could only offer a four-year, $72.5 million contract.

The team is rolling with Mitchell Robinson as the starter and it is comfortable letting him be there for the entire season, but plans constantly change in the NBA.

If the Knicks are unhappy midseason with Robinson's progress, they could look to make a trade with the Washington Wizards for Jonas Valanciunas.

"Valančiūnas signed a three-year contract with the Wizards, although his actual time in the nation's capital could be closer to three months," Bleacher Report contributor Greg Swartz writes. "The veteran center got his money and will almost certainly be moved to a contender before the Feb. 6 deadline. The Knicks could use his rebounding, screening and toughness either as a starter or backup to Robinson."

Valanciunas, 32, signed a three-year, $30.295 million contract with the Wizards last month. However, with Washington likely heading to the top of the lottery once again, the team could look to move him as soon as they can in December.

That window from December to February will be crucial for the Knicks as they make their final moves to get the best team possible. That's when they traded for OG Anunoby and Bojan Bogdanovic this past season, and it helped them get to 50 wins by the end of the season.

The Knicks should look to be aggressive during that time period again, and a trade for Valanciunas with the Wizards would be an example of that if Robinson doesn't work out as the team's starting center.

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