The New York Knicks reportedly inquired about the availability of Phoenix Suns point guard Brandon Knight. How might Knight help and hurt the Knicks?
The New York Knicks have set out on a quest to find the best point guard to mentor Frank Ntilikina. With head coach Jeff Hornacek expanding his strategy beyond the limitations of the triangle offense, New York is also eyeing a point guard who can play alongside Ntilikina.
While it’s unclear how much interest the Knicks have in Brandon Knight, it appears as though the Phoenix Suns point guard is being viewed as a potential trade option.
Knight is a veteran of the NBA, but he’s played for three teams over the course of six seasons. He’s been productive and generally impressive when given the keys to the offense, but has yet to discover a sense of stability.
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, the Knicks are open to the possibility of being the team that provides Knight with a sense of job security.
"As the Knicks continue to look for a point guard this offseason, Brandon Knight is one name that came up in conversation with Phoenix recently, per league sources."
New York’s interest isn’t yet concrete, but acquiring Knight could be a positive for a Knicks team in need of quality contributions at the point guard position.
Knight, 25, is coming off of one of the worst seasons of his six-year NBA career. He’s held in high esteem by many around the NBA, however, and has experience playing for Hornacek from his time with the Suns.
The question is: What would the Pros and Cons be of the New York Knicks potentially acquiring Brandon Knight via a trade with the Phoenix Suns?
Pro: Scoring Versatility
Brandon Knight isn’t elite in any one area of the game, but he’s at least average in every phase as far as scoring is concerned. Between his ability to drive the lane, work the pick and roll, space the floor, and shoot off the bounce, Knight can do just about everything as a scorer.
Knight will need to polish his individual skills in order to take the next step in his development, but he has the tools to be a high-quality scorer in New York.
Knight has a career average of 1.6 3-point field goals made on 35.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. He’s converted at least 100 3-point field goals in five different seasons, and is a career 81.2 percent shooter from the free throw line.
Knight also averaged 3.7 points via drives in 21.2 minutes per game in 2016-17, which translated to a borderline elite average of 6.2 points via drives per 36 minutes.
Neither his 3-point shooting nor his driving are elite skills, but Knight can do both well enough to hold the opposition accountable on defense. He’s also athletic enough to run the fast break and help fuel Jeff Hornacek’s offense.
For what it’s worth: In the 49 games that Hornacek coached for the Phoenix Suns in 2015-16, Knight averaged 19.7 points and 2.1 3-point field goals made per contest.
Con: Injury History
When Brandon Knight is healthy, he looks the part of an above-average player who can create offense at a high enough level to be a full-time starter. The hurdle in Knight’s brief stint with the Phoenix Suns, however, has been his inability to remain healthy.
Knight was generally healthy before the past three seasons, but an extended stretch of health issues is one to take serious note of.
Knight missed 19 games in 2014-15 due to multiple ankle injuries, including a final ailment that required season-ending surgery. In 2015-16, he missed 30 games due to multiple abductor strains that later required sports hernia surgery.
Knight also missed 28 games in 2016-17, but that was more a result of his falling out of favor with head coach Earl Watson.
Due to the fact that he struggled to stay healthy in back-to-back seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, it’s fair to question if he can play a full 82-game season. A handful of games missed can be accepted, but when the number consistently enters double-digits, a line is crossed.
Knight would benefit from playing in a role with job security, but he’d also need to prove capable of physically handling the workload of a full-time starter.
Pro: Team-Friendly Contract
The New York Knicks have at least two contracts that could be viewed as burdens. Tim Hardaway Jr. will make $71 million over the next four seasons, and Joakim Noah will enter the second year of a four-year deal worth $72 million in 2017-18.
As the Knicks look for a point guard who can contribute without consuming an overwhelming amount of cap space, Brandon Knight’s team-friendly deal fits the bill.
Knight has three years remaining on his contract, which keeps him under guaranteed contract through 2019-20. He’s due $43,893,750 over the course of those three seasons, including the $13,618,750 he’s owed in 2017-18.
Knight will also receive $14,361,250 in 2018-19, and $15,643,750 in 2019-20—the completion of three consecutive affordable seasons.
It could be argued that New York shouldn’t take on a contract with three seasons remaining on it. That case grows even stronger when one considers how many injuries Knight has succumbed to over the past three seasons.
If the Knicks are looking for a starting-caliber point guard who can operate both with and without the ball, however, few will be more affordable than Knight.
Con: Defensive Inconsistency
New York Knicks president Steve Mills is committed to building through a young core that can achieve sustainable success. One of the key principles he’s already begun harping on is a commitment to execution on defense.
Simply put: The Knicks would be taking a massive gamble by banking on Brandon Knight and Tim Hardaway Jr. to play anything better than below-average defense as a tandem.
Knight finished the 2016-17 NBA regular season at No. 80 amongst point guards in Defensive RPM at -3.08. He wasn’t much better in 2015-16, ranking No. 58 amongst point guards in Defensive RPM at -2.48.
Knowing that to be true, the Knicks can’t confidently make a trade for Knight under the impression that he’ll defend at a high level.
In New York, Knight would be playing with Hardaway Jr., who ranked No. 58 amongst shooting guards in Defensive RPM at -1.08. It’s possible that both players could put the work in to improve, but there’s no possible way to guarantee such an event transpiring.
New York is committed to improving on defense, and a trade for Knight could be viewed as a step in the wrong direction.
Pro: Fitting The Timeline
The last thing the New York Knicks can afford to do is make a trade for a marginal talent who’s operating along a different timeline from the young core. Eric Bledsoe would be an ideal target, but the rational point guard options with long-term deals are few and far between.
In the case of Brandon Knight, the Knicks would be investing in a 25-year-old point guard who’s developing along the same timeline as the current foundational pieces.
With a 25-year-old point guard developing in front of the soon-to-be 19-year-old Frank Ntilikina, the Knicks could potentially bridge the gap. Not only would Knight be able to help ease Ntilikina into the NBA, but he could play alongside him long-term.
Moreover, the Knicks could build a sustainably productive backcourt with two players who are the same age: Knight and Tim Hardaway Jr.
There are reasons to question how far Knight can lead the Knicks, but building a core of young players is a primary focus. Knight fits that bill as a young player who, prior to the 2016-17 season, appeared to be trending upwards.
If head coach Jeff Hornacek can help Knight realize his full potential, a trade for the 25-year-old point guard could be a wise long-term decision.
Must Read: Five reasons to love the Scott Perry hiring
The question is: Should the New York Knicks pursue a trade for Brandon Knight?