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New York Knicks: Players Phil Jackson Needs to Trade For

By Maxwell Ogden

Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 10, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) looks to pass around Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 10, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley (2) looks to pass around Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) during the second quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Patrick Beverley, Houston Rockets

Position: Point Guard

Age: 27

2015-16 Salary: $6,486,486

Contract Expires: 2019

Slash Line: .420/.403/.653

Season Averages: 26.7 MPG, 8.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.7 3PM

The New York Knicks need a point guard who can play lockdown defense, space the floor, and accept the Triangle Offense role of an off-ball contributor. That doesn’t necessarily mean said player will never have the ball in his hands, but instead that a point guard’s role in the triangle is unlike that of any other system.

If there’s one player who can be classified as the ideal fit in the present day, it’s Houston Rockets point guard Patrick Beverley.

Beverley is one of the most highly-touted defensive players in the NBA. He routinely takes on opposing point guards with his strong frame and raw physicality, all the while simultaneously attempting to account for James Harden‘s defensive lapses.

Beverley, accustomed to life in an off-ball role, is converting 40.3 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts in 2015-16—the rounding out of his fitting skill set.

Beverley isn’t a perfect player, and there are certainly flaws worth addressing. What he’d bring to New York is the type of defensive consistency and efficiency from 3-point range that the Knicks are currently desperate for at the point guard position.

A 2014 All-Defensive Second Team honoree, Beverley has a longer contract than Jose Calderon, but makes less in 2016-17 and provides more on the court, making for a very ideal potential swap.

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