Like his free agency, Knicks president Leon Rose played it conservative during his first trade deadline Thursday with a very small deal.
As eastern rivals Miami, Boston and Chicago got stronger, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will try to fight the Wizards and beyond on Thursday with the same guys he has unless the Knicks are proactive in the buyout market.
Center Andre Drummond tops the list as he works out a buyout with Cleveland after the Cavaliers failed to find a deal on Thursday’s trade deadline.
After trading Austin Rivers and Ignas Brazdeikis, the Knicks still have more than $ 14 million in cap space and a whopping $ 60 million in summer space.
As The Post reported hitting the deadline, Rose plans to make his splash this summer.
If they don’t sign a player through a buyout, the caproom money will be split among the players on the Knicks roster as a bonus to get to the NBA’s minimum payroll.
Plus, the Knicks are going into draft night with that cap space to potentially make a transaction easier while most teams are over the cap
The Knicks have been back and forth on Drummond as a fit, but he’s durable, rebounds and scores in the middle despite analytical mavens scoffing at his big numbers
Drummond is from Mount Vernon, so the Knicks have been on his radar despite reports that the Lakers and Nets are tough front runners. The Knicks also have a financial advantage over the Lakers and Nets in being able to offer more than the minimum with even a small guarantee for next season.
Petty attacker Otto Porter, who was traded to Orlando and could be relinquished, would also be a target.
On Thursday’s trade deadline, the Knicks reached a second round in late 2021 in their only exchange to make up for the second-rounder they lost to Detroit to Derrick Rose.
But the Knicks’ biggest win was that point guard Lonzo Ball stayed in New Orleans instead of being traded to Chicago, which would have controlled his limited free future. The Bulls had serious talks with New Orleans.
As The Post reported, the Knicks were not keen to give up significant assets for Ball if they thought it could sign him in the summer.
Some Knicks goals were covered elsewhere when combo guard Victor Oladipo was moved to Miami, where he is rumored to want to re-sign this summer. Raptor’s shooting guard Norman Powell was traded to Portland, but the Knicks could be in the game if he’s a free agent.
Other targets included Evan Fournier, traded to Boston, and JJ Redick, moved to Dallas.
For Oladipo, the Rockets got Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk and a draft pick swap in 2022. The Knicks also had questions about his long-term health, but GM Scott Perry still felt he could be a sharp upgrade. He no longer determines the service.
One of the two fringe players who acquired the Knicks from the Sixers in Thursday’s trading, French center Vincent Poirier and swingman Terrance Ferguson, will likely be waived pending their success in the buyout market.
The Knicks wasted two 15-man roster places in Rivers and Brazdeikis and the Knicks were able to trade them in that deal. Rivers and the Knicks agreed to find a new destination during the All-Star hiatus and he hasn’t been with the team since.