Mikal Bridges, Jordan Clarkson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Guerschon Yabusele highlight the list of New York Knicks players whose names have been mentioned in trade rumors this season.

Related: The NBA trade deadline is only days away, on Feb. 5.

And color me pessimistic, but I don’t think the Knicks’ five-game win streak has Rose and the front office forwarding trade calls to voicemail.

When players like Giannis Antetokounmpo are seemingly — and finally — seeking new homes, it’s hard to turn your phone off, sure.

But on a grander scale, this trade deadline represents an opportunity for Rose to amend a faulty offseason swing.

Jalen Brunson‘s prime represents the championship window. And in a weaker Eastern conference with fewer obstacles on the road to a title shot, New York has to capitalize at every inflection point.

Guerschon Yabusele: As good as gone

“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got til’ it’s gone?”

Well, up until this Knicks season, I tended to agree with Joni Mitchell and her 1970 single, “Big Yellow Taxi.”

But with each game that passes, I feel confident that not only do the Knicks know what they have with Yabusele, but that there’s no risk of seller’s remorse ahead of next week’s trade deadline.

After signing a two-year, $12-million deal to join New York last summer, the French big man showed up to training camp at a whopping 283 pounds.

And while he’s publicly downplayed concern over his conditioning, the tape always gets the last say. And the tape says whether it’s his weight or otherwise, he’s a bust.

He was deemed a discovery for the Philadelphia 76ers after playing the three previous years in Spain, posting 11 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 36% from three.

That’s been far and away from the case for Yabusele this season, who’s seemingly regressed in a higher-paced offense on a team with less margin for error.

It’s resulted in him playing just 9.6 minutes per game under Mike Brown, after playing 27.1 minutes per game under Nick Nurse and the 76ers last year. And the numbers aren’t great.

He’s averaging just 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds on 39% shooting from the floor and 29% from three.

According to Cleaning the Glass, New York has been outscored by 3.4 points per 100 possessions with Yabusele on the floor.

Life is meant to be lived forward and understood backwards. This was a gamble from the start, and the house won.

Jordan Clarkson: Exiled

Less consequential was the Knicks’ signing of Jordan Clarkson, who got a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal.

New York knew Clarkson’s game was that of a staple of luxury. When he’s hot, he’s hot, and when he’s not, he’s unplayable.

The early signs were promising, with Clarkson posting 10.4 points on 35% shooting from three over the first 30 games. That includes multiple clutch performances en route to the Knicks’ NBA cup championship win in December.

But amidst a 2-9 slide, head coach Mike Brown turned away from Clarkson and hasn’t looked back.

The veteran sixth man has appeared in just one of the last four games, with the box score reading “Coach’s Decision.”

New York won all four of those games. So don’t bank on seeing Clarkson anytime soon, even if he remains with the team past the trade deadline.

His lower salary doesn’t exactly constitute the resources for a big trade, but the need for scoring (and ball-handling) off the bench persists for the Knicks.

Giannis or no Giannis?

Potentially most concerning for fans is Towns’s play, whose second season in New York has featured more swings than an HBO true crime thriller — despite a surprising NBA All-Star nod.

Gasoline tipped onto a smoldering fire when Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Knicks’ offseason talks for Antetokounmpo had an effect on the locker room.

“Just ask the [New York] Knicks, whose talks with the Bucks about Antetokounmpo last summer led to hard feelings with Karl-Anthony Towns that, per team sources, remain to this day,” Amick wrote on Jan. 29.

Towns’ feelings aren’t Rose or the front office’s responsibility, not entirely. But the team’s offseason trade talks affecting the locker room are notable within the framework of a discussion about last summer.

Toeing the line in trade talks for a superstar is always going to have ramifications, whether inside or outside the building, the team, or the fanbase.

With the trade window firmly open for Antetokounmpo, a swing for the Bucks’ star is once again on the table for Rose and company. And those talks will begin and/or end with Towns and his $53-million salary.

It’s worth noting that the big fella has picked it up as of late. Towns is averaging 12.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists over the five-game winning streak.

According to Pivot Fade, the Knicks are +48 in his 128 minutes in that stretch, posting a 17.1 net rating, 115.5 offensive rating, and 98.5 defensive rating.

For context, those numbers over the previous five games: -27 in 157 minutes, a -8.8 net rating, 110 offensive and 118.8 defensive ratings as the team went 1-4.

Whether or not Leon Rose and the front office deserve criticism, I’ll leave that much up to you and the rest of the fanbase.

But what can’t be debated is the significance of this trade deadline for New York, a hopeful title contender that has not looked the part for much of this season.

By all accounts, they’ll be active over the next few days, whether that’s a Giannis-sized swing or a Clarkson/Yabusele rearranging along the margins.

The time is now. We’ll soon see if the front office feels the same way.