Getty Robin Lopez shoots over Andre Drummond.
The New York Knicks should look to pursue buyout market players as they deal with injuries to OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Mitchell Robinson. It’s been a tough stretch for the Knicks as they battle these injuries, but they must find players to fill the gaps until they get healthy.
While options aren’t going to fix any of the problems the Knicks have, these buyout options wouldn’t be here for that. Instead, they’d join to give the Knicks regular season minutes as their players get healthy. After that, they’ll likely serve little purpose on the team, which isn’t a bad thing.
It was reported by Ian Begley of SNY that the Knicks added Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks in large part due to the injuries they were dealing with.
“Told that uncertainty/concern around OG Anunoby injury has factored in to NYK’s deadline approach. Heard Anunoby had been making progress late last week but he’s missed games since then. NYK yesterday changed injury description from elbow inflammation to bone spur irritation.”
They weren’t added just because of these injuries, but it did play a factor in their trade deadline moves.
Not many options on the buyout market will excite Knicks fans, but there are three who could help them.
Robin Lopez, Danuel House, and Danilo Gallinari Could Help the Knicks
The buyout market isn’t filled with talent. Unfortunately, this isn’t a place where the New York Knicks are going to find their next Jalen Brunson.
Despite that, Robin Lopez, Danuel House, and Danilo Gallinari are all long-time professionals who can give them what they’re looking for.
Lopez, a 15-year veteran center, isn’t what he used to be. He was traded from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Sacramento Kings and will hit the buyout market with the possibility of signing with a team that can use a third center. With the injuries to Hartenstein and Robinson, Lopez could fill that role for the Knicks.
Bucks general manager Jon Horst had the following to say, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic:
“Hard decision, hard move. Because you even saw it just recently, Robin (is) not only a great person, a great teammate. Robin helped us. At this point in the season, with 30 or so games left, we had to make a decision. … We couldn’t add to our team in any other way unless we had a roster spot.”
House is an interesting name on the buyout market and someone a team might take a chance on. He’s averaging 7.3 points in his career, shooting 35.9% from three-point range. There was a time in his career when he was getting legitimate NBA minutes and he held his own. The forward could fill the needs of Randle and Anunoby in terms of depth until they return.
Gallinari was drafted by the Knicks and would be a nice feel-good story. However, the 35-year-old hasn’t been the same player he once was, especially defensively. If he can turn into a stretch five and give the Knicks some minutes as a small-ball center, this could be a decent fit.
Injuries Playing a Factor Into Buyout Options
With all of the injuries that the New York Knicks are facing, they have to hit the buyout market. This team has a chance to make serious noise in the playoffs and if they stay healthy, that gives them an even better chance.
It’s been a tough stretch with injuries, but that’s something teams deal with throughout the season.
Look for them to be active as more players get bought out.