Knicks Mailbag: Is a Mitchell Robinson trade for Trey Murphy III possible?

SNY’s Ian Begley will be responding to Knicks questions from readers. Here’s the latest…

Do you know if trading MitchRob for Trey Murphy is somehow a possibility? – @bballgypsy

I don’t think it is. The Pelicans have been signaling for a while that they value Murphy III highly and see him as a vital part of the future. So it would be surprising to see New Orleans move Murphy III for a package involving Mitchell Robinson. I don’t say that to slight Robinson. He is an elite talent and, if healthy, would have high value around the league.

In a perfect world, the Knicks could bring Robinson along slowly with the goal of having him healthy for the postseason. But things are rarely perfect in the NBA. Injuries or sub-par individual performance could lead the Knicks to seek an upgrade via trade. Robinson is on a team-friendly deal (making $14.3M this season and $12.9M in 2025-26, the final year of his contract). If you look at the current Knick roster, Robinson and Miles McBride are probably their best (realistic) trade chips.

I would assume there is not much support for moving McBride. The Knicks, as currently constituted, will need him on both ends of the floor. The situation with Robinson is obviously a little different. The 26-year-old center is still rehabbing from offseason foot surgery and is expected back between December and January if there are no setbacks. But I can’t see New Orleans moving Murphy III at all – let alone for a player who is rehabbing from surgery. Because of his talent and team-friendly contract, there will be a market for Robinson. I just don’t think moving him could bring back a player like Murphy III.

QUICK HITTERS

Can they sign one more vet min? – @nykyg

They may be able to sign one later in the season. But right now, they’d need to shed team salary in order to add a veteran. I assume the Knicks will stick with 14 players on the roster for at least the first few weeks of the season – if not longer. They will have enough room to keep Landry Shamet on a standard deal and sign a rookie to a free-agent deal. If they signed another veteran at the minimum, it would take them over the second apron. They cannot exceed the second apron ($188.9 million) in team salary this season.

Why would Morris (not) have a chance to make the roster post-trade? Wouldn’t a weaker bench provide an opportunity for him considering the lack of bench wings? – @J_ac0_b

The Knicks couldn’t keep both Morris and Shamet at their current team salary. (See above.) They also had to waive Morris before the Karl-Anthony Towns deal in order to execute the sign-and-trades to Charlotte.

What rookie is expected to get a contract? -@antinthenba

If I had to guess, I’d go with center Ariel Hukporti because of the position he plays.

Dude said he wasn’t a fan of the Villanova story. Don’t let the door hit ya. – @thebringerx

I don’t think this is accurate. Here’s what I know about the situation. I don’t think this impacted the Knicks’ decision to move DiVincenzo.

What convinced Dolan to stop messing with the team? – @cramnietslede

On the day the Knicks introduced Phil Jackson as team president, owner James Dolan said he didn’t want to get heavily involved in basketball decisions. By all indications, he’s maintained that approach since that day. I’m sure he weighs in on decisions and signs off on them. But I don’t think he’s as involved as he used to be.

BTS KNICKS-SIXERS

ESPN has put together a great show featuring strong behind-the-scenes footage from the Knicks-Sixers 2024 first-round series. Clutch: The NBA Playoffs has great footage and interviews with members of the Knicks and Sixers. It’s worth your time if you follow either team.