Why The New York Knicks Do The Deal 

The Knicks do this deal to assemble the league’s best cast of near All-Stars. 

It won’t get them to the NBA Finals. In fact, if they don’t even win a playoff series following this deal, it wouldn’t be a shock. It should at least make them better. 

After all, Isaiah Hartenstein has generally outperformed Robinson this season. That makes him expendable to New York. They’d do better with Hayward’s playmaking than a skillset like Robinson’s. 

Moreover, this isn’t about the 2022-23 NBA Finals for the Knicks. This organization is obviously trying to fashion itself as a desirable landing spot for stars. Given their market, making a playoff run ought to go a long way toward helping them do so. 

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Gordon Hayward, Charlotte Hornets & New York Knicks

In the end, this could be an indirect route to landing a top-10 player for the Knicks.