The New York Knicks are going to miss Mitchell Robinson. Apparently, they’re going to be missing him for the remainder of the 2023-24 NBA season. This is unfortunate. The Knicks have come to rely on Robinson. 

Sure, they’ve got Isaiah Hartenstein. He’s good – arguably, he’s a better offensive player than Robinson. Still, he doesn’t offer the same defensive resistance. The Knicks are going to miss Robinson’s ability to defend the paint. 

Unless they replace him, that is. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Knicks scour the trade market for Robinson’s replacement. They could make a small trade or a splash. Here are three deals that we think they ought to consider. 

Trade No. 1 – Knicks Acquire Daniel Gafford From Wizards

Washington Wizards receive: G/F Evan Fournier, 2024 First-Round Pick (Lottery Protected – NYK)

New York Knicks receive: C Daniel Gafford, F Danilo Gallinari 

Get used to seeing Fournier’s name here. It’s going to come up a lot. He’s out of New York’s rotation, and he’s got a conveniently sized expiring contract. 

The Wizards should be interested in that contract. This team is in the infancy stages of a rebuild. Keeping their books clean should be a priority – and picking up draft capital should be a higher priority. The Wizards should be happy to flip Gafford for a lottery-protected first. 

Meanwhile, Gafford does some of what Robinson does. With that said, he’s still a downgrade. The Knicks could go out and get a player that’s closer to Robinson – but he’ll cost more. 

Trade No. 2 – Knicks Acquire Jarrett Allen From Cavaliers 

Cleveland Cavaliers receive: G/F Evan Fournier, G/F Quentin Grimes, 2024 First-Round Pick (Top 5 Protected – NYK) 

New York Knicks receive: C Jarrett Allen 

Here, the Knicks aren’t strictly moving Fournier and draft capital. They’re also moving Quentin Grimes. Some Knicks fans won’t be pleased about that. After all, Grimes has looked like a potential long-term piece for this team at times in his three-year career. 

Sure. With that said, his role appears to have been reduced this year. With that in mind, the Knicks may decide that landing a strong defensive big like Allen is worth the cost of a bench guard and a lightly protected pick. 

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers should find several uses for Grimes. If it’s true that Mitchell wants to leave, he could be his replacement. Otherwise, he could be a key reserve that allows Cleveland to stagger two small guards in Mitchell and Darius Garland. This deal could work for both sides – unless the Knicks want an even bigger fish. 

Trade No. 3 – Knicks Acquire Nicolas Claxton From Nets

Brooklyn Nets receive: G/F Evan Fournier, 2024 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2026 First-Round Pick (Top-5 Protected – NYK) 

New York Knicks receive: F Royce O’Neale, C Nicolas Claxton

The Knicks aren’t just replacing Robinson here. They may be upgrading him. That’s certainly debatable – Claxton and Robinson are on similar levels. Still, Claxton would give this team advantages that they’ve never had before. 

Specifically, he’d make them more versatile. Claxton is a rare 1-through-5 defender. Tom Thibodeau may currently be salivating thinking about all of the defensive schemes he could feature Claxton in. 

Yes, he’s due for an extension this summer. The Knicks can afford to pay him. As for the Nets, they’re having a mediocre season – they may prefer to stockpile draft capital rather than extending Claxton. That’s not to say that they won’t miss him.