Knicks Guard Silences Trade Rumors With Perfect Performance From Deep

The New‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ York Knicks were the home team, having to face the Brooklyn Nets. Going into this game, the Knicks were burdened with a four-game losing streak, and there was increasing talk about the possibility of some roster moves coming before the February 5 trade deadline.

Landry Shamet, who had spent the last two months basically going through the process of rehabbing a dislocated right shoulder, gave a performance that potentially removed his name from any trade talks.

His perfectly executed 6-for-6 shooting performance from beyond the arc for 18 points in only 15 minutes was indeed a personal comeback.

The record 120-66 destruction of Brooklyn meant more than just a franchise-record 54-point win margin: it showed why letting Shamet go by trading him would be one of the biggest mistakes a team dreaming of winning the championship could ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌make.

Miles McBride captured the locker room's collective relief when discussing Shamet's eruption.

"To deal with what he's had to deal with, it's a testimony to his hard work, how he prepares. We're not surprised," McBride stated, per video from SNY.

Deuce McBride talks about Landry Shamet going 6-6 from three-point range off the bench:

"To deal with what he's had to deal with, it's a testimony to his hard work, how he prepares. We're not surprised." pic.twitter.com/Z9YHFEdv63
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2026

Shamet's Game-Changing Performance Breakdown

Shamet‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ entered the game at 5:35 in the first quarter with the Knicks leading 20-11. His first contribution was on defense - at 3:00 in the first quarter, he made a steal on Ziaire Williams' bad pass, and he quickly passed to OG Anunoby, who scored on a fast break dunk that increased New York's lead to 43-27 and the Nets called a ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌timeout.

Shamet's‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ offensive explosion finally broke out late in the first quarter when he hit two successive three-pointers at 36 and 21.4 seconds, which extended New York's lead to 38-20.

A steal in the second quarter by Shamet off Nolan Traore at 10:59 kept the energy going even though he proceeded to miss his only field goal attempt of the night.

The fourth quarter allowed for the finishing touch: three consecutive three-pointers at 10:43, 9:49, and 8:01, together with a block at 11:14, which sealed the franchise-record blowout.

Why Trading Landry Shamet Would Be An Organizational Blunder

Dec 15, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during practice prior to the Emirates NBA Cup championship at the T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ have been a number of trade discussions proposing Shamet as a player to absorb salary, with one such hypothetical scenario even suggesting sending him to Brooklyn in exchange for Dallas forward Naji Marshall.

But the last performance was the perfect demonstration of why it would be a mistake to trade him. Shamet was on fire before his injury on November 22, as seen in a career-high 36 points on 12-for-19 shooting against Miami on November 14, and hitting the game-winning three-pointers that gave the 113-111 victory over Dallas on November 20.

He's one of a kind, a difference-maker, not someone you simply replace with a lower-level ‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌talent.

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