My phone battery hates this time of year. As we approach the trade deadline, there is no shortage of hearsay, tittle-tattle, and bavardage on NBA Twitter. The New York Knicks are not immune to the gossip, and my phone battery is not cut out for the flood of ever-changing information.
Reports are billowing out of 4 Pennsylvania Plaza that the New York Knicks are actively shopping former 9th overall pick, Kevin Knox.
Knox’s career with New York got off to a hot start winning Rookie of the Month in December of 2018. Over the course of that month, he averaged 17.1 and 6.0 rebounds and led all Rookies in minutes per game at 34.9 minutes per game according to NBA.com. His future seemed bright after his rookie campaign.
The difficulty for Knox is that he never quite found footing after that rookie season. He’s watched his minutes per game drop in each of the last two seasons. Still, Knox is having a career-best shooting year, per Basketball-Reference, and could offer help to a team in the right situation.
With Kevin Knox likely on the move, what could the Knicks get in return in a trade?
But what is that right situation? What could the Knicks potentially get for a young man who has shown some promise and is still only 21-years old?
Maybe New York could package Knox and a few other pieces to add a player that would upgrade the roster both immediately and in the long term. Maybe they trade Knox to help add some veteran depth. Yet another option would be using Knox to help facilitate a three-team trade where another team acquires the superstar they are looking for.
I explore a variation of all three of those options.
Kevin Knox helps the Knicks land a budding Superstar
If you have read some of my past work, you’d know I think Zach LaVine, a 25-year-old making only a shade over $19 million this season and next would not only vault the Knicks strongly into playoff contention, but he also fits Julius Randle’s timeline over the next two seasons at a pretty cost-effective price tag. The Knicks could get to a max contract slot this summer (are you listening Kawhi?) and keep both Randle and LaVine with only minor maneuvering — Trading Frank Ntilikina as well should do the trick.
The price tag here is not cheap as New York does lose both Dallas Mavs picks, but it’s well worth the high cost to add a player averaging 28.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game at the time this is being written. The Knicks are playing really well on the defensive end. The offensive upgrade LaVine would be could take the Knicks from play-in level to potential first-round spoiler.
The key component of this trade that should have Leon Rose accept immediately and laugh all the way home is that the Knicks keep RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and Immanuel Quickley, forming the basis of a strong young core with both Julius Randle and Zach LaVine.
The Bulls front office gets to run Knox on a short tryout period for a pretty low salary and gets two first-rounders in the deal for their troubles.
Is Kevin Knox for PJ Tucker a logical move for the Knicks?
Every Knicks fan is anxiously counting down the days to Mitchell Robinson returning from his surgery like one of those paper chains at Christmas time in Elementary School.
The big question here for Knicks fans is what becomes of the lineups. Thus far, Tom Thibodeau has moved Nerlens Noel into the starting five and given the bench 5-spot minutes to Taj Gibson. This situation is the exact reason why the Knicks re-signed Gibson in the first place.
Still, using Kevin Knox as the trade bait to add some frontcourt depth may actually be the most realistic option the Knicks have to move their former lottery selection elsewhere.
Coach Thibodeau would absolutely jump at the chance to add a defensive stalwart like PJ Tucker to the roster. Tucker would give New York a ton of flexibility with his ability to play either the 4 or 5 spots and guard both really well depending on the matchup.
I’m also literally salivating thinking about the corner threes Tucker would feast on playing in line-ups with Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose. We all know how much Coach Thibs loves his corner threes!
I can also hear the fans saying that youth should be developed and the Knicks should still be operating with an eye on the draft. The fact of the matter is that the Knicks seem to be headed for the playoffs right now and if you’re gonna be there, why not be the best you can possibly be. Tucker, who only has one year left on his deal, would add playoff experience and defensive intensity to the already defensive-minded young roster.
The Rockets shed 3.3 million in salary and add a 2nd round pick to their growing stable of draft assets. It’s a win-win in my opinion.
Would the Knicks acquiring this Celtic be the “Smart” move to make in a 3-team Kevin Knox swap?
Andre Drummond may be the hottest name on the trade market. There are not many players in the league right now who can bring Drummond’s level of defense and rebounding acumen to the table. The issue is that many of the teams who would be in the position to use his services to the fullest cannot afford him outright. Enter the New York Knicks and their oh so precious cap space.
The Knicks use that cap space to add a player that seems to be tailor-made for what Tom Thibodeau wants to do on the defensive end of the floor. A line-up that features Elfrid Payton/Marcus Smart/RJ Barrett/Julius Randle/Mitchell Robinson would really get after opposing line-ups on defense. The downside here is a continued lack of spacing on offense since none of Smart, Barrett, or Payton are threats from long range.
If the Knicks made this move early enough before the trade deadline, it gives them some flexibility to move either Alec Burks or Reggie Bullock as well to address any weaknesses they still see. The Knicks would still have approximately 8.4 million in cap space left to play around with as well.
The Cavaliers turn Andre Drummond into a middling to late first-round pick in the upcoming draft, while the Celtics add Drummond and significantly improve their front-court.