How It Impacts The Knicks
The New York Knicks may not be looking for another big man, but Nikola Mirotic is a player who fits both the timeline and the structure of the roster. Coupled with a team-friendly contract that includes a club option, adding him to the mix could yield safe and solid results.
Completing a trade for Mirotic may be an unlikely proposition, but the value and fit is undeniable in this instance—and that’s at least worth looking into.
Mirotic is a sharpshooting power forward who’s beginning to come into his own in the NBA. He struggled to knock down the outside shot in 2016-17, but averaged 2.0 three-point field goals made per game on 39.0 percent shooting from distance in 2015-16.
Thus far in 2016-17, Mirotic is averaging 2.5 three-point field goals made per game on 47.5 percent shooting—perhaps unsustainable, but not terribly far from his capabilities.
By playing Mirotic alongside Porzingis, the Knicks would build a frontcourt with two sharpshooting bigs. That balance of competent post play and lethal shooting would keep opposing defenses on their heels as they attempt to defend two mountains of three-point proficiency.
It’s an unlikely trade, but if the Knicks could create a reasonable trade package, it would at least be worth looking into.