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New York Knicks: Trades that would facilitate the rebuild

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks look on during the first half at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 28: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Courtney Lee #5 of the New York Knicks look on during the first half at Madison Square Garden on November 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 20: Alex Abrines #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JANUARY 20: Alex Abrines #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 20, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Trade

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the most dominant starting lineups in the NBA. According to CleaningTheGlass.com, the Thunder’s five-man unit of Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Steven Adams ranks in the 98th percentile in net rating.

With Roberson going down, however, the Thunder’s already thin second unit has now become an even greater concern—a truth that could make Courtney Lee and Michael Beasley ideal targets.

Lee may not be able to replace Roberson, but he’d certainly be an upgrade over Alex Abrines for a team that’s attempting to win now. Lee’s just as good of a shooter as Abrines, but he’s also capable of attacking off the bounce.

More importantly: Lee is a two-way veteran with postseason experience and the ability to be an above-average team defender.

Beasley still has his issues on defense, but he’s justified the nickname, “Walking Bucket,” in 2017-18. Thus far, he’s averaging 12.6 points in just 19.3 minutes per game, which translates to an excellent mark of 23.5 points per 36 minutes on 52.5 percent shooting.

Having a reserve who can consistently score in isolation would enable Oklahoma City’s bench to perform at a higher level, thus improving its chances of going on a deep postseason run.

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