The Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks are no strangers when it comes to making deals.
Their most recent trade came just before the start of 2024 when Toronto traded O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to New York for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and 2024 second-round pick.
It was one of the few instances of a win-win trade that saw the Knicks tremendously benefit from the addition of Anunoby, while the Raptors got back two key pieces of their new young core in Barrett and Quickley.
Could another Raptors-Knicks trade be brewing? Well, Jed Katz of Sports Illustrated recently proposed an interesting trade between both sides:
Raptors receive: Mitchell Robinson, Precious Achiuwa, 2026 second-round pick (via GSW)
Knicks receive: Jakob Poeltl
While Poeltl’s name has come up a ton in recent trade rumors, according to Sportnet’s Michael Grange the Raptors are unlikely to move him at the deadline as they see him part of the team’s bounce-back season next year. Also, it’s hard to imagine the Raptors being interested in Achiuwa again since he never panned out as the type of player they were hoping for. Achiuwa’s on an expiring contract and would be used as salary filler in this deal.
Robinson’s health status is a big concern too. He is no where close to being as durable as Poeltl. When he is healthy, he is one of the better defensive centers in the league, but it feels like Toronto would be taking a huge chance on his health. The second-rounder the Raptors receive could be enticing but not enough to make this deal a good one for them. While it’s fun to speculate another Raptors-Knicks trade going down, this should be an obvious pass from Toronto.
Bleacher Report projects Raptors selecting Illinois’ Kasparas Jakucionis in latest mock draft
Regardless of what happens at the trade deadline, the Raptors will have their eyes on the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
Bleacher Report put out their latest mock draft and they have Toronto selecting Illinois’ point guard Kasparas Jakucionis with the no. 4 overall pick.
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