New York Knicks: Enes Kanter trade will not return assets, and that’s fine

The New York Knicks have an Enes Kanter trade in the works with the Sacramento Kings. It probably will not return assets, but for the sake of the team, that’s manageable.

Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings have discussed a swap of Enes Kanter for Zach Randolph, although a deal is not imminent and the Kings want to unload more expiring contracts, which potentially means a third team joins the mix.

Trading Kanter for Randolph is one expiring salary for another, at $18.6 million for $11.69 million, respectively. While no others pieces to the Knicks were reported, trading players with reduced or nonexistent roles on their teams might not return any assets, as in first-round picks or young players, for executives Steve Mills and Scott Perry.

Instead, it’s to smoothen out the rotation, and that’s fine.

The Knicks have dealt with an unhappy Kanter since his first benching in October, when head coach David Fizdale inserted Mitchell Robinson as the starting center. It lasted into November, until another change was made as the Knicks continued to lose. This time, Luke Kornet received his opportunity, and the Turkish big man returned to a reserve role.

Kanter’s unhappiness reached the point of meeting with Perry, which did not result in a trade request. But, the Knicks’ direction is clear: youth triumphs veterans that do not have long-term deals, and the 26-year-old will become a free agent next summer.

Per the New York Post, Fizdale promised Kanter a rotation role in any situation, but that’s as Robinson eventually returns from ankle and groin injuries. That leaves three centers to balance, even if two of them play simultaneously; likely Kornet playing off Robinson and Kanter as a stretch four.

It’s a bit to balance, and since Kanter’s Knicks future likely terminates at season’s end, there’s only so much effort to put into a player that disagrees with his role. The preserves the youth-focused approach and only places greater emphasis on it.

With Randolph’s potential arrival, he’s 37-years-old and has yet to suit up for Sacramento, due to their own youth movement. The Knicks can keep him for a veteran presence, but also attempt a buyout if he wants to seek employment with a contender near the end of his career. Kanter is far from that, which may make a buyout more difficult.

So, this deal smooths out the rotation and removes the potential headache of handling three centers with only however many minutes to dish out.

Not only that, but if the Kings want to dispose of more expiring contracts, it still makes the Knicks an intriguing match. Courtney Lee-for-Iman Shumpert works, but it’s hard to imagine that working without a draft asset heading Vlade Divac‘s way. Expiring deals are their own kind of asset, and that may require a pick in exchange.

For the most part, though, it’s about deconstructing a logjam in the rotation and within team morale. The New York Knicks, realistically, may not receive a first round pick in return for Kanter, but even if they take a future second-rounder for this, it’s still a positive as this organization moves forward.