The 2023 NBA trade deadline is less than 48 hours away, which means talks are heating up around the league.
The New York Knicks always seem to pop up in trade rumors, and this season is no different. However, it remains to be seen whether Leon Rose and Co. will pull off a trade before Thursday.
Following New York's 102-98 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the deadline and whether the team needs to make a move.
"I love our team," Thibodeau told reporters. "I love our team. Leon's job — and it's league-wide right now as things heat up — but that's his job, to listen to people, to talk and to see what's going on around the league. He and his staff are always thinking about [trade] possibilities and can we improve the team. That's his job, he's responsible for that. But we love our team. If something were to happen, it would have to be something that he felt very strongly about that would improve the club.
"But we know that we have a really good roster that we like. We have a lot of good, young players that we know are going to get better as time goes on. I've been around a long time: for every 100 trades they talk about, one gets done. So just keep focused on [the games], don't get distracted. It's just noise. But the good thing is that [trade rumors help] the popularity of our league. It creates a buzz and everyone is looking at it. But you can't lose sight of what's important to us, which is getting ready for the next game."
Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was also asked about the upcoming deadline and how he feels about the roster as currently constructed.
"I mean, as professionals, our job is to show up every day and play basketbll and let the front office deal with all of those situations. But I love my teammates," Brunson told reporters. "Getting to know these guys, they've been welcoming — the guys that were here before me. The relationships that we've made over these past couple of months have been special. I love these guys. That's all I can say."
The Knicks are currently 30-26, which is the seventh-best record in the Eastern Conference.
New York has the NBA's ninth-best offense (scoring 113.1 points per 100 possessions) and 14th-best defense (allowing 110.6 points per possessions).