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Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks drives to the net against Yves Missi #21 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at Madison Square Garden on December 01, 2024 in New York City.
Second-year center Yves Missi, a reported New York Knicks trade target, reportedly feels “disrespected” that the New Orleans Pelicans are fielding offers for him ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
Per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, Missi has two specific reasons to be upset with the Pelicans: 1) for relegating him to a bench role and 2) for trying to trade him.
“The 21-year-old big man and his camp feel disrespected by the Pelicans for his major decrease in minutes, and tension has formed between the two sides, sources say,” Siegel reported over the weekend.
“Not only does Missi want an elevated role, but the organization is fielding a ton of [trade] interest in him, making him one of the most likely players to be on the move before this year’s trade deadline.”
Knicks Trade Target: Yves Missi
As has been widely reported, the Pelicans have reportedly received offers for Missi from up to six teams, including the Knicks, who are said to be shopping Guerschon Yabusele, Pacopme Dadiet and Jordan Clarkson with hopes of making roster upgrades.
Missi began the season as a starter until the Pelicans inserted rookie Derik Queen to take his place. The Cameroonian big man is averaging just 19.1 minutes per game in his second year, after logging 26.8 minutes and starting 67 games as a rookie last year. He made the All-Rookie Second Team for averaging 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, flashing a lot of potential and promising to take a huge stride in his second year. All that obviously changed the minute Queen took his place in the starting unit.
Knicks Trade Deadline Plans
Besides Missi, the Knicks have their sights set on another Pelicans player, Jose Alvarado, per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
“The Knicks are one of the handful of teams with strong interest in Missi, sources said,” Scotto reported on Friday. “Since he is in the second year of his rookie contract, any team rumored to be in search of extra frontcourt depth has likely called the Pelicans to discuss a potential trade. Multiple teams in the Eastern Conference, including New York and Toronto Raptors, have held Missi trade dialogue with New Orleans.”
The Knicks could definitely use another big body like Missi to play behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson to shore up their defense. Since the start of 2026, the Knicks rank 19th in defensive rating and an alarming 23rd in opponent paint points allowed. Those numbers would be even lower if not for Robinson’s impact off the bench, seeing as Towns has proven to be a defensive liability for Mike Brown’s team. Another concerning trend for the Knicks is that they rank 26th in opponent pick-and-roll field goal percentage (.537) due to Towns’ struggles to guard the roll man.
Per insider Evan Sidery, the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors are among other teams in hot pursuit of Missi — not surprisingly due to his rookie-scale contract running through 2027-28.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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