Untouchable, Knicks struggle to find trade partner

Josh Hart and draft picks. The Kings and Pacers swapped Tyrese Haliburton for Domantas Sabonis, plus ancillary pieces moving from both sides.

With Bradley Beal set to undergo season-ending wrist surgery (as announced Tuesday) and the Haliburton trade making it more likely De’Aaron Fox stays in Sacramento, it’s hard to envision the game-changer deal still available to the Knicks at the deadline.

Of course, they still have a treasure chest of upcoming draft picks and young prospects to dangle. Derrick Rose is scheduled to return after the All-Star break from ankle surgery, which inevitably provides the Knicks a big upgrade at point guard.

But one could easily argue the Knicks need more than tinkering. Their current trajectory leaves them out of the playoffs after elevating to the fourth seed last season.

Rose, a former agent who took over the Knicks front office with no experience, has adopted a low-risk timid approach to building out the roster. He was armed with copious cap space for consecutive summers but prioritized short-term deals the first year. Then when those players overachieved last season, he prioritized continuity and handed out multi-year contracts that mostly devolved into negative assets before the deadline.

Tom Thibodeau gave a non-answer when asked about his involvement and whether he anticipates a move. Weeks ago, Thibodeau cautioned the Knicks could be quiet at the deadline.

“(The front office) is doing what they need to do,” the coach said. “They’re up constantly studying opportunities, and if something makes sense where they feel they can improve the team, we do it. And if it doesn’t make sense, we won’t do it. They look at all the possibilities and they do that year-round and it’s more heightened.

“If they get close on something, they’ll come talk to me about it. But it’s the time of the year when you look at all the possibilities.”