The Knicks got another point-of-attack defender. Jose Alvarado is coming home. And the Guerschon Yabusele era has come to an early, but expected end. The Knicks traded Yabusele to the Chicago Bulls for swingman Dalen Terry, then traded Terry with two second-round picks and cash to the New Orleans Pe licans for the sweet-shooting defensive-minded guard from Brooklyn. Alvarado, 27, is a reliable three-point shooter averaging roughly 8 points, 3 assists and a steal off the bench for the Pelicans this season. He is most known for catch opposing point guards off-guard with steals from behind in the back court, a move sure to elicit a raucous, standing ovation when performed for the first time in front of the Madison Square Garden faithful. Most importantly, Alvarado relishes in his role as a tough-nosed, point-of-attack defender, an area the Knicks have had trouble despite building a roster with notable defenders across all positions. He joins New York’s second unit of Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, Tyler Kolek and rookie Mohamed Diawara. Jordan Clarkson is on the roster but remains a trade candidate as the Knicks approach the 5 p.m. NBA Trade Deadline. A Yabusele trade appeared on the horizon from the onset of training camp, where it became apparent his 6-9, 280-pound frame might not support the demands of Mike Brown’s run-and-gun, up-tempo philosophies on both ends of the floor. But with Karl-Anthony Towns starting exclusively at the five, and Robinson playing heavy center minutes off the bench, small-ball five opportunities became scarce for Yabusele, who, mired in a poor three-point shooting season, fell out of Brown’s rotation altogether in the weeks leading into the trade deadline. Yabusele projects to see more minutes at center with the Bulls, who play a similar fast-paced offense to the Knicks but traded their starting center Nikola Vucevic to the Boston Celtics for Anfernee Simons. And Alvarado will receive the homecoming ovation of a lifetime from a Knicks fan base that knows it needs its new guard to help shore the defense to reach championship heights this season. The move is already a win on the cap sheet for the Knicks front office, who took a risk using its mid-level exception to sign the 2024 Paris Olympics standout, only to watch the investment in Yabusele almost immediately backfire entering the season. The Knicks signed the French forward to a two-year deal worth more than $11 million with a $5.8 million player option for the 2026-27 season. By acquiring Alvarado, who is in the first year of a two-year, $9 million deal split evenly across Years 1 and 2, the Knicks save at least $2.3 in payroll over the next two seasons, and even more on their luxury tax bill. They were previously $140,000 away from the second apron and have now expanded that cushion to $1.1 million. Alvarado went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2021 and worked his way into the Pelicans rotation from a two-way contract that saw his split time with the Birmingham Squadron, New Orleans’ G-League affiliate. He is a 35.1% career three-point shooter who is shooting 36% from behind the arc this season. A CAVEAT Alvarado is now the fourth guard 6-foot-2 or under available for use in Brown’s rotation, joining McBride, Kolek and Jalen Brunson. Landry Shamet and Josh Hart are listed at 6-foot-5, Mikal Bridges is 6-foot-6, and OG Anunoby is 6-foot-7. So the Knicks got off of Yabusele’s lack of production and his contract, but they also got smaller–though it’s hard to quantify the comparison against a player who was out of the rotation altogether. General size has been something to watch for a Knicks team that sometimes profiles as small outside of its two seven-footers (Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns) and its defensive stopper (OG Anunoby). ...read more read less