Knicks Trade Rumors: Designing ideal Noah Vonleh deal with Sixers
With the New York Knicks drawing interest in Noah Vonleh from the Philadelphia 76ers, what’s an ideal trade for these parties to accomplish?
As the trade deadline nears, the New York Knicks have entered the fluctuant rumor mill that accompanies it. Enes Kanter was one name floated and a second player joined him on Wednesday.
Per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, the Philadelphia 76ers have interest in Noah Vonleh. However, Jon Johnson of SportsRadio 94WIP and KYW Newsradio 1060 said it’s “false.”
If the Knicks and Sixers were to connect on Vonleh, it creates an intriguing inter-division scenario, helping one team’s playoff push and another’s rebuilding situation. Both strategies are, potentially, positively impacted by this move.
What kind of deal can these teams orchestrate before the deadline? Let’s take a look:
Noah Vonleh’s fit in Philadelphia
Fitting Vonleh onto Philadelphia’s roster should not arise issues, given what he provides for the New York Knicks in a more prominent role, on a weaker team.
After losing Dario Saric and Robert Covington in the Jimmy Butler trade, the Sixers only had Mike Muscala to make up the difference as a big man with long-range shooting ability. He shoots just 39 percent from the field.
Vonleh is not a proficient shooter, but his improvement from behind the arc has been the biggest surprise of his breakout year. At 41.1 percent on 2.1 attempts per game, he’s arguably their most consistent player on three-pointers, as well as Kevin Knox.
Vonleh not only brings this but versatility to the Sixers’ offense. His ability to distribute, dribble the ball up the floor, defend and post up gives their unit something extra, complementing the stars in place. It’s what led to head coach David Fizdale’s assessment of the 23-year-old in November:
David Fizdale said Noah Vonleh might be the #Knicks' "most complete player." "He’s starting to make his threes, he brings the ball up for us, he guards 1 through 5, he blocks shots at the rim, runs the floor." Vonleh's had double-doubles in the last two games.
— Chris Iseman (@ChrisIseman) November 23, 2018
Vonleh deepens a top-heavy team with a handful of pieces around them. Whether playing next to Joel Embiid, giving Embiid a rest as a small-ball center or providing the Sixers a larger lineup, head coach Brett Brown has ample ways to use this new player, pending a deal happens.