The players most — and least — likely to get traded by win-now Knicks as deadline looms

The competition made a move this weekend, with the Cavaliers dealing DeAndre Hunter and two second-round picks to the Kings for a pair of guards — Keon Ellis and Dennis Schröder. This was a cost-cutting trade for the Cavs, who are a disappointment this season and deep into the luxury tax. It wasn’t a maneuver to make Cleveland better — although Schroder is playoff-tested and a headache to opponents when motivated. Conventional wisdom suggests the Cavs aren’t done before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

We’ll see.

The Knicks, you can be certain, aren’t making deals just to save James Dolan money. They’re in a win-today window and operating accordingly. Perhaps they’ll cut salary to provide more flexibility under the second apron, which allows them to improve the roster with separate transactions. But the focus is on 2026 (with a side focus on keeping their options open for Giannis Antetokounmpo, if he’s still available after the deadline and not on the Knicks).

For what it’s worth, Dolan said recently that he doesn’t expect a major trade. And barring an Antetokounmpo move, I think that’s how this trade deadline will play out. A trade or two to improve the depth. Or maybe they’ll just unload a player (ahem, Guerschon Yabusele) who is a disappointment and taking up a roster spot.