Knicks Trade Deadline Plans Hinge on Wizards Performance

The sky has stopped falling, at least for one day, for the New York Knicks. With Josh Hart back in the lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers, they looked more like the team that won the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup.

Getting their glue guy back in the lineup helped in many ways. It was still far from a perfect performance, with some OG Anunoby heroics being needed down the stretch to put away their Western Conference foe, but the Knicks got back into the win column, which was the most important thing.

Holding the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the front office will be seeing how things unfold on the court and seeing if a move needs to be made ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5.

New York will almost assuredly be limited in how impactful a move it can make. A big reason for that is their limited assets. Veteran forward Guerschon Yabusele has been mentioned in a lot of trade rumors, as his fit has not been as good as hoped when he signed as a free agent last summer.

Knicks lacking assets to make impactful addition ahead of NBA trade deadline

Dec 12, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New York Knicks forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) reacts during practice prior to the Emirates Cup semifinals at T-Mobile Arena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He is averaging only 9.9 minutes per game, failing to replicate the production he had during the 2024-25 campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Given his lack of production, he isn’t likely to draw a ton of interest on the trade market, but the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs have been mentioned as potential landing spots.

Former first-round pick Pacome Dadiet has been mentioned as a trade chip as well. Even if the Knicks combined him and Yabusele, more assets might be needed to bring back anything of value in return.

That is where the Washington Wizards come into play. New York owns their first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, the selection is top-8 protected. If the pick lands inside the top eight selections, the Wizards would convey two second-round picks to the Knicks instead.

Given where Washington currently is in the standings, those second-round picks would still hold some value because the 2026 selection would land in the 30s.

Alas, that protected pick could be what helps New York bring back something of substance ahead of the trade deadline. The Wizards have already made a big move, acquiring Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks in a surprising blockbuster trade.

Wizards hold key to Knicks ability to swing make impactful NBA trade deadline move

Jan 9, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Newly acquired Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (M) looks on from the bench with teammates against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Capital One Arena. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Some people aren’t a huge fan of his style of play, but there is no denying that he addresses a major need for Washington as a dynamic playmaking point guard. His presence would make life easier for everyone, at least on the offensive side of the ball.

The Wizards are going to do everything in their power not surrender that first-round pick. Taking a look at their recent level of performance on the court before trading C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert, it isn’t hard to see what their motivation in acquiring Young, who is recovering from injuries, might be.

However, whether that pick actually falls inside the top eight or not isn’t super relevant to the Knicks. There being a possibility that it could land at No. 9 is what they could sell to teams ahead of the trade deadline to use it as an asset.

Attaching a potential No. 9 overall pick to Yabusele and Dadiet is a much more attractive trade package than just the two Frenchmen. New York will be keeping a close eye on how Washington is performing, because if it is in the realm of possibility that a first-round pick will convey, not two second-round picks, the value increases immensely.

Adding a player who better fits the Knicks' current needs and rounding out the rotation would raise their odds of making a run to the 2025 NBA Finals, which is their ultimate goal.

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