With so much speculation and optimism going into the NBA trade deadline the New York Knicks were destined to fail.
The New York Knicks were supposed to walk away from this NBA trade deadline winners. Dreams of D’Angelo Russell and Kyle Kuzma would go unfulfilled. Russell was shipped to the Timberwolves and the Lakers refused to included Kuzma in trade talks.
With all this bad news swirling there was still hope. The Knicks hired Leon Rose to be their new President of Basketball Operations earlier today, and his impressive resume and reputation as an agent should get fans excited. Despite the bad news, the Big Apple was still in a good position.
Reports that the Clippers were nearing a deal to acquire Marcus Morris Sr. began to surface. Sham reported that the Clippers offered Moe Harkless, a first-round pick, and G-League youngsters Terance Mann and Mfiondu Kabengele.
Mann, a 2019 2nd rounder, and Kabengele, a 2019 1st rounder were each playing well in the G-League. Mann averaged 14.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assist through 12 games while Kabengele has been even more exciting. Through 19 games the rookie has averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds shooting 48% from the field and 30% from three.
New York had a chance to get two young under the radar prospects to go along with Moe Harkless’ expiring contract and the Clipper’s 2020 1st round pick. If the Knicks took this deal I would’ve been happy, but instead the Knicks decided to disappoint.
How did the Knicks only trade Marcus Morris for Moe Harkless and the Clippers 1st. Morris was one of the top names on the market. Multiple contenders were seeking Morris’ service and there was a reported bidding war between the Lakers and the Clippers.
The Knicks failed to get one of their top targets. I didn’t think it would be too much to accept young players when they’re offered to you, but for New York it is.