4 Knicks trade candidates entering 2024-25 training camp

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The New York Knicks pulled off an unexpected blockbuster trade on September 27, dealing a package centered around Julius Randle and fan favorite Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves and acquiring All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns in return. This exchange could work for both teams and certainly fills the void at center the Knicks have been facing after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency and Mitchell Robinson to injury.

With this deal in the rear-view mirror, though, who is the next player that the Knicks could deal? Let's find out.

Any team would covet a sharpshooter like Landry Shamet

Shamet is a decent player, but the one skill he is elite at is outside shooting. He was drafted into the league for his skills from beyond the ark, and he's an absolutely dead-eye sniper when he gets a clean look.

Shamet is the kind of player that any team can use. No NBA team has ever been confident that they have enough shooting, not even the mid-2010 Golden State Warriors dynasty. Teams can always use more shooters and floor spacing is always at a premium, especially in the postseason.

Shamet is a player who the Knicks are happy to have, but he's also not exactly essential to what they want to do. That's why he's the perfect trade chip and the most likely player on the Knicks roster to be traded: He is somebody valuable enough for every team in the league to inquire about as soon as trade discussions are opened, but he's not quite valuable enough to the Knicks to be the hangup or point of contention in any major transaction.

He has a skill that is highly valued across the league, but there are a number of outside specialists who can shoot nearly as well as him. For the right deal, the Knicks would be more than willing to part with Shamet and find another shooter to fill out their roster.

Shamet is a fairly easy player to part with in trade negotiations, and he's somebody who will draw interest from many suitors. This makes him the most likely player on the Knicks roster to be dealt.

One of the remaining Villanova boys could be dealt

Any deal involving one of the team’s remaining Villanova alumni would be heartbreaking for fans, especially after the team just sent DiVincenzo away in the Randle-Towns swap. The remaining Villanova boys include a trio of Knicks players who all played their college ball together at Nova and reunited in the Big Apple. This group includes Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges. Of these players, Hart is the most likely to be dealt.

There's virtually no world in which the Knicks would deal Brunson, as he is their superstar and the engine that makes the team go offensively. The Knicks need to build around Brunson and shouldn't even consider sending him away in any deal.

Hart is a very good player, but he's not quite irreplaceable, and there's a possibility that another team falls in love with him and sees the former Nova star as their missing piece. If a team believed they were one player away from contention and that player was Hart, they might be willing to make a deal that the Knicks would find themselves unable to refuse.

Miles McBride could be a salary-matching candidate

Miles McBride is a good player and he's great for providing a jolt of energy off of the bench. He's not a star by any means, and the team doesn't value him as one. What he is, though, is a useful bench player who can get hot as a microwave scorer.

McBride can score from all three levels, and when he gets hot, he's capable of scoring with the best of them for brief periods of time. This makes him a compelling trade target for any contender that is looking to strengthen their bench unit in anticipation of a deep playoff run. Of course, it's possible that the Knicks want McBride to lead their own second unit next spring as they make a run at the Larry O'Brien trophy.

However, if they identify another player to improve their team, there's a good chance that player's team will ask for McBride as part of any negotiation. His $4 million salary will be useful in balancing your trade, and, his skill set will make him useful as more than just salary filler.

Precious Achiuwa might be the team's most valuable trade chip

Precious Achiuwa is a young, versatile, and talented player who excels defensively and is growing every day at the offensive end. He's exactly the type of player another team could talk themselves into as somebody who just needs a change of scenery and a new coaching staff who could unlock his tantalizing full potential.

Achiuwa has an affordable salary, and he's the perfect buy-low candidate for a team that is a year or two away from contention and needs somebody with upside. If that team happens to have a disgruntled star or critical role player that the Knicks' front office believes would put their team over the top this year, a deal centered around Achiuwa could definitely happen.

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