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The New York Knicks are shopping around Jericho Sims ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline, NBA sources told the New York Post’s Stefan Bondy.
Bondy added that the team has asked for a second-round draft pick.
Sims was recently removed from the Knicks’ rotation and was listed as inactive ahead of the Knicks’ Monday game against Detroit.
Sims is among the team’s longest-tenured players but is now on a game-to-game basis, according to head coach Tom Thibodeau, per Bondy.
Sims, a former second-round pick in 2021, is averaging 1.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 11.6 minutes per game. He has earned three starts this season, stepping in for an injured Karl-Anthony Towns.
The 26-year-old will be tough to sell to teams now that he is out of the rotation, and he will become a free agent this summer. He is in the final year of his three-year, $5.7 million contract with the Knicks.
The Knicks are operating above the first apron and are unable to take back more salary than they are sending out, with Sims’ remaining $2.1 million expiring deal.
With the looming return of fellow center Mitchell Robinson in the next few weeks, who is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Sims could see his playing time suffer significantly.
Sims started on Jan. 6 against the Orlando Magic as Towns nursed knee soreness, logging 29 minutes, four points, and 10 rebounds in the 103-94 loss. The next game against the Toronto Raptors, he played four minutes with one rebound and then was the only DNP in the team’s last two games.
A potential suitor for Sims could be the Los Angeles Lakers who have openly been searching for a center to back up Anthony Davis and Lebron James all season.
Dating back to October, Shams Charania has pointed out the frontcourt missing link in Los Angeles.
“The Lakers have been exploring potentially adding a big man, a center to their roster, Shams said.”