Steve Popper: Knicks seem poised to keep core intact and make a run for postseason
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks passes the ball during the second half against Luka Doncic #77 and Gabe Vincent #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in New York City. Credit: Jim McIsaac
WASHINGTON — As the Knicks have made their way through six straight wins, they’ve pointed to a number of reasons: improved defense, better communication, offensive spacing that finally seems to indicate a grasp of some of the changes to the system.
But what might be most interesting is that it hasn’t been the way they’ve been carried before — on the shoulders of Jalen Brunson or even their other All-Star, Karl-Anthony Towns.
That presents a reasonable if not totally believable case for not sending off pieces of the starting five in an effort to swing a multi-team deal that lands them Giannis Antetokounmpo before Thursday’s trade deadline.
The Knicks, like every other team, would like to add Antetokounmpo. If it meant matching salaries and swapping out Towns, or any one player aside from Brunson, they would be pulling the trigger. But it’s not that simple.
The Bucks reportedly have been seeking a young blue-chip talent and multiple first-round picks. To add those to a deal, the Knicks would have to send out multiple pieces. OG Anunoby? Mikal Bridges? Deuce McBride? Josh Hart?
One star player, even a two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo, doesn’t ensure a title. You could ask the Bucks about that right now.
So the Knicks can fall back on their belief in the whole, one that was voiced by Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan last month. In an appearance on WFAN, he expressed his belief that no big moves were coming and that this group should reach the NBA Finals and could win it all.
In the six-game streak, Brunson has averaged 21.7 points per game, far below his previous season average of 28.1. Towns has averaged 12.3 points per game, the lowest six-game span of his career. And still they’ve won, as they have much of this season when less has been needed from Brunson. He posted a season-high 13 assists Sunday and Towns totaled 42 rebounds in the two games before Sunday.
And that’s a good thing, something that backs up the plan that the front office put in place when they pushed their chips onto the table and put together a five-man starting lineup that might be as talented as any in the NBA. Breaking it up would be no small decision.
The Knicks have been building around Brunson since signing him, trading for Josh Hart, dealing RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to obtain Anunoby, and then trading for Bridges and Towns.
“I think that’s what we’re capable of,” Hart said after Sunday’s 112-100 win over the Lakers in which Brunson had only 12 points and Towns 11 but three others scored at least 20.
“We have great depth. We have guys that can knock down shots, guys that can play-make. It’s not always going to be JB or KAT’s night. We rely on those guys obviously to score points, but it shows that we don’t have to force anything.”
It was that way in the 2024-25 postseason. Brunson’s heroics sometimes carried them, but other nights it was Towns or even Bridges. This year it has not just been the starting five; Landry Shamet, Mitchell Robinson or McBride have done it on other nights.
“It’s going to be somebody different every night,” Shamet said. “We know that. Our group has bought into that. It’s about all of us buying in, doing what we can on a night-to-night basis. We’ve got a locker room full of guys who want to win and are willing to sacrifice for one another.”
Depth was an issue for the Knicks last season, and the front office thought it was addressed with the signings of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele. But they were the only two players not to get in the game Sunday, and both have been out of the rotation on most nights of late.
Both players have been shopped, along with 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet. While they are the most likely to depart, it almost certainly will entail the Knicks attaching a second-round pick to make it happen.
For now, the Knicks seem poised to keep the core intact, having at least shown that this group can play together in the postseason and that they are willing to sacrifice and take their turn.
Towns, whose name has been floating around in trade rumors and conjecture since the summer, repeatedly has spoken about sacrificing and his willingness to do so.
The Knicks may fall short in the postseason and, if Antetokounmpo remains available, revisit the trade talks in the summer. They will know whether the expectations have been met and have the ability to put together a better package. For now, the original plan seems bound to remain in place.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
