Hughes, Wilcox Broadway Bound

Just when it seemed all was quiet on the trade front, the New York Knicks pulled off two separate deals for forward Chris Wilcox and guard Larry Hughes hours before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

Following practice at the team’s training center, Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced the acquisition of Wilcox from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for forward Malik Rose and cash considerations. The Knicks obtained Hughes from the Chicago Bulls for forward Tim Thomas, center Jerome James and guard Anthony Roberson.

“We’re very happy with the two players who will be coming here,” Walsh said. “We think they fit in with what can help us and they’re in the parameters of what we’re trying to do.”

Aside from any salary cap purposes relating to the summer of 2010, the two moves fill a need for strength in the frontline and additional perimeter shooting in the backcourt. The 6-foot-10 Wilcox will provide size in the post, while Hughes gives the Knicks another weapon in Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense.

“Chris is a gifted athletic big man that brings toughness and solidifies our interior defense,” D’Antoni said. “Larry fits nicely in our backcourt. He is extremely athletic and a tough defender with a solid overall game.”

Wilcox, who is averaging 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds this season, comes to New York after spending over three seasons with the Thunder - formally known as the Seattle Sonics. He became available after Oklahoma City rescinded on a trade that would have sent Wilcox, Joe Smith and the draft rights to DeVon Hardin to New Orleans for Tyson Chandler.

"We had talked about (dealing for Wilcox) before and that actually broke kind of a logjam for us," Walsh said. "It allowed us to do what we wanted to do with the fact that deal went down because getting Wilcox allowed us to make the deal with Chicago."

Wilcox is averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds during his seven-year NBA career with his best season coming in 2005-06 when he posted 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds in all 82 games for the Sonics.

Hughes comes to the Big Apple averaging 14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists through 11 NBA seasons. He is joining his sixth different team after playing in Chicago where he averaged 12.0 points in 58 games over the previous two seasons.

Hughes replaces Rose as the Knicks’ only player with NBA Finals experience. He played a big part in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship run in 2007, which came to an end in a four-game sweep by the San Antonio Spurs.

The move gives the Knicks two open roster spots, which Walsh said could be used on a recently waived NBA free agent or an NBA D-League player. However, Walsh does not feel inclined to bring in anybody right away.