Knicks stand pat at NBA trade deadline as nobody bites on Kemba Walker

SAN FRANCISCO — The Knicks are all-in on the play-in.

The Knicks stood pat at Thursday’s trade deadline. Team president Leon Rose had interest in making a move, but not enough teams had significant interest in their assets, including point guard Kemba Walker.

Being sellers and dumping players just to open summer cap space was considered but then scrapped, and this offseason will now stand as one of the most important in franchise history.

The Knicks, who upset the Warriors, 116-114, could still release Walker if they so choose. The club already has one open roster spot, so it can be players on the buyout market for an upgrade — which is what Tom Thibodeau may have been referring to hours after the deadline.

“We already made a trade earlier on,’’ Thibodeau said of acquiring Cam Reddish. “That’s part of it You look at your trade possibilities, free agents. Leon [Rose], Wes [William Wesley] and Scott [Perry] look at it in totality. It’s ongoing. It doesn’t end. It’s every day thinking about how can we improve the team. So there’s short-term planning, long-term planning and you’re constantly looking at both. That’s Leon’s job. He’ll continue to look. There’s always possibilities, different ways you can improve the club and I trust him.’’

According to sources, the Knicks still want to compete for a play-in spot — they entered play Thursday just 2 ¹/₂ games out of the 10th slot — and still believe they made an upgrade in adding Reddish last month. The obvious boost will come Feb. 25, when Derrick Rose, key to last season’s late run, likely will return from ankle surgery.

Walker, who was squarely on the block, said he’d be fine to stick in New York — but didn’t sound emphatic.

“Yeah, I’m here,” Walker said at the morning shootaround, the deadline 45 minutes away. “Like I said, I mean, what can I do? It’s not up to me. I’m just a player. I don’t make those decisions or anything like that, so yeah I want to be there. That’s why I came here, to be a part of my home team. It’s not really my decision.”

The Knicks, at 24-31, were 0-3 on the western trip and had lost 10 of 12 games before facing the Warriors.

Speaking an hour before the trade deadline, Thibodeau said he’s OK without a move.

“I’m fine. I like our team. Leon, Scott, Wes, they do that year-round,” Thibodeau said. “This time of year, if something makes sense for us that can improve our team, they’ll consider it. That’s what their job is. They have to do that year round. Whoever we have, we like. If something can make us better, we’ll definitely consider it. We’ll keep working every day.”

The Knicks explored many options in recent days, including inquiring about C.J. McCollum, Norm Powell, Harrison Barnes, impending unrestricted free agent Jalen Brunson, Terrence Ross and injured Pacers center Myles Turner, but either came up empty or showed restraint.

They decided not to sell low. Leon Rose will deal with any further Julius Randle issues and their point guard conundrum down the road.

In addition, center Mitchell Robinson is an unrestricted free agent and can settle that issue with a contract extension at any point before the end of the season.

“I love our guys,’’ Thibodeau added. “I think we just got to keep working at it. Whoever comes in or whoever is here, we have a really good core to build off of. We got to continue to work.’’

Knicks management is hopeful Reddish will get more of a look from Thibodeau. He’s only played when there has been an injury.

The Knicks have added as a consultant former Timberwolves president Gersson Rosas, who joined the team in Denver and accompanied it to San Francisco. Rosas knows Rose and worked with Thibodeau in Houston years back.

Wesley and Allan Houston had been the only two executives on the trip while Rose and Perry stayed home to work the phones.

Rose hasn’t talked to the media since mid-September — a few days before training camp. Now might be the right time to explain his vision to the fans. It’s the second straight trade deadline he has all but stood pat.

Walker said part of the blame on their poor 12th-place record goes to him as he’s shooting 28.6 percent in his last seven outings.

“Me personally, I can be better offensively,’’ Walker said. “We could be better as a whole defensively. It’s a lot of things that go into these games. Some games it’s offensive rebounding that hurts us. Some games turnovers that hurt us. We’ve got to try to put together some full games, especially down the stretch.

“I just think we haven’t really found our rhythm together. And that’s been the biggest problem. It just hasn’t come along for us as a group and that’s been our biggest problem. I do think we have great players. I do. Great group of guys. We just haven’t been putting it all together.’’