With the trade deadline looming on Thursday, decisions will need to be made whether to wait for Mitchell Robinson or to potentially swing a deal for another big man.
For the first time this season, Tom Thibodeau said Saturday the injured center is “pretty close” to being cleared for full contact and to rejoin the Knicks in practice.
Robinson has missed the entire season so far following ankle surgery last May, but he had resumed light contact in controlled conditions earlier this week.
“Everything has gone very smoothly in terms of the rehab. So the next step will be the clearance for regular contact,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks’ 128-112 loss to the Lakers on Saturday night at the Garden. “The controlled contact, you know what’s coming. So you can brace yourself for it.
“So once you get out of that, where you’re just playing and reacting, that will be the next step. He’s pretty close.”
The two-year anniversary is approaching on what has turned out to be one of the best trades of the Leon Rose era with the Knicks.
While Josh Hart has entrenched himself as an indispensable multifaceted regular with the Knicks, Cam Reddish, who was dealt along with a protected first-round pick to the Trail Blazers for him on Feb. 9, 2023, has not been able to carve out a significant NBA role in his second season with the Lakers.
Reddish has not played a return game at Madison Square Garden since leaving the Knicks, and he was unavailable for Saturday night’s game due to personal reasons, the Lakers announced.
The Knicks had sent a first-round pick to the Hawks to acquire Reddish in Jan. 2022, but the former lottery pick out of Duke fell out of Thibodeau’s rotation early the next season.
He appeared in 35 games for the Knicks, averaging 7.4 points and 18.7 minutes, and he’s scored just 3.3 points per game this season for Los Angeles.
All-Star center Anthony Davis (abdominal strain) and Christian Wood also were out for the Lakers.
Former Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (shoulder) and Gabe Vincent (knee) both played after being originally listed as questionable.
After the game, Davis was dealt in a three-team trade for Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
The Lakers sent Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in 2029 to the Mavericks, while the Lakers are receiving Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris along with Doncic.
The Jazz also received Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino and the Clippers’ and Mavericks’ 2025 second-round picks.
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