Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers is guarded by Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks.
After finding themselves falling on the winning side of eight straight contests, the New York Knicks have dropped three straight and, as a result, boast a just-north-of-pedestrian record of 18-16.
The club’s most recent defeat came in a Christmas Day matinee at home against the surging Philadelphia 76ers (20-12) with a final score reading 119-112.
Superstar James Harden led the charge for the visiting Sixers, as he finished off his day with a stellar stat line of 29 points, 13 assists, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and a block on 45.4% shooting from distance and a +10 plus-minus rating.
Following his heroic holiday efforts, the point guard headed to his personal Instagram account where he seemingly took a dig at the Knicks, as he posted a collection of pictures from pre and postgame with the caption “Madison Square Garden,” a play on words with the team’s home arena Madison Square Garden.
Throughout his 14-year NBA career, James Harden has squared off against the New York Knicks on 27 separate occasions, where he sports a dominant record of 24-3. On top of this, following Philadelphia’s latest win on Christmas, half of these matchups have taken place at Madison Square Garden where the 10x All-Star has gone 10-2.
Knicks Had ‘Internal Talks’ About Trading for Sixers Forward
Though the Philadelphia 76ers were the direct opponent of the Knicks Sunday afternoon, according to a recent report by SNY’s Ian Begley the franchise has also been viewed as a possible trade partner for Leon Rose and company.
Per Begley, there have been internal discussions within New York’s front office about the idea of pursuing a deal that would bring Tobias Harris to the Big Apple.
“The Knicks at least talked internally about the idea of acquiring Tobias Harris via trade before their winning streak started,” Begley said.
Prior to their winning streak – and subsequent losing streak – the Knicks had internally discussed the possibility of trading for Tobias Harris.
@IanBegley on the Knicks’ loss to the Sixers on Christmas, and what New York will do as the deadline nears: t.co/QE0KXQDGZD
A Long Island native, Tobias Harris has been linked as being a possible target for the Knicks on many occasions throughout his 12-year career, most notably during the summer of 2019 when the forward was tabbed as a realistic free agency option for the franchise considering his previous ties with General Manager Scott Perry from their tenures with the Orlando Magic.
Through 29 games played in 2022-23, the 30-year-old finds himself posting impressive averages of 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 steals on 49.3% shooting from the floor and 40.5% shooting from distance.
Knicks Interested in Bolstering Forward Positions?
Tobias Harris isn’t the only combo forward the Knicks have been reported as being interested in possibly pursuing this season, as Begley has noted that the franchise went as far as reaching out to another Eastern Conference ball club regarding the availability of one specific impressive talent.
According to the NBA Insider, New York reached out to the Toronto Raptors to inquire about sixth-year veteran, OG Anunoby.
“I was told the Knicks at least touched base with Toronto recently, [within] the past few weeks, on OG Anunoby,” Begley said. “Obviously a fantastic young player [and] defender in Toronto. [For] the Raptors, it’s going to be interesting how they proceed with their roster at the trade deadline.
“Knicks have touched base on OG. I don’t know if the talks went anywhere but it tells you a little bit about if the Knicks are going to swing big, where they might look either at the deadline or, more likely, in the offseason.”
We talked Tom Thibodeau, success of NYK starting five, Obi Toppin, Zach Lavine, OG Anunoby & more in this Mailbag from earlier in the week. Thanks to @2lowtech, @fuccimane, @caelnnotkale, @TheKOTShow & @benchwarmerpost for the questions! Full show here: t.co/vLmOkqRMIf
Putting forth career-highs in several areas, the 25-year-old finds himself sporting a tremendous per-game stat-line of 18.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and a league-leading 2.3 steals on 47.9% shooting from the floor and 35.0% shooting from distance.