Trade SZN is in full swing! Ever since the Derrick Rose acquisition, Austin Rivers has joined Coach Thibodeau’s Island of Misfit Toys and has been completely phased out of the New York Knicks‘ rotation.
Austin Rivers had his fair share of moments off of the Knicks’ bench this year but has been far too inconsistent to remain a key cog in New York’s machine.
Some of those moments include a 15 point performance against Indiana where he shot 3 for 6 from deep in a huge Knicks win and a blistering 23 point performance off the bench in a huge win against the NBA’s best team, Utah Jazz.
I’m personally a huge fan of Austin Rivers, as he’s a true student of the game, and while he doesn’t possess the elite skills you need to compete at a very high level in the league, he makes due off his basketball IQ and will to win.
His competitive spirit is unmatched and I would hate to see him go but I also want the Knicks to get better and he could be a very valuable trade chip for Leon Rose and co.
The Knicks need a few things in order to achieve that: shooting, a better facilitating point guard, and a better wing than Reggie Bullock or Alec Burks.
Keeping Rivers around as a filler on the bench that can come in and back up for either Rose or Quickley if either were to go down is a valuable piece to have, but I think his days in New York might be numbered.
We know how valuable and special the Knicks’ second-unit has been lately and if either of the two guards were to go down, it wouldn’t be pretty.
Should the Knicks pursue a trade for currently-benched Austin Rivers?
In this article, I’m going to switch it up a bit from my normal trade pieces where instead of just finding three different trades, I’m going to explore three levels of trades instead.
What I mean is that I’m going to explore a minor move where the trade will add value to the team but the player(s) the Knicks get in return probably won’t have a much more significant impact over Rivers.
The second one will be a trade where the Knicks receive a key rotational piece in exchange for Rivers and other assets.
Lastly, Austin Rivers will be just a small throw-in piece as a part of a much larger deal.
Here goes nothing…
Matisse Thybulle for Austin Rivers makes sense for the Knicks.
Austin Rivers playing for his pops yet again?!
The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the two teams that showed heavy interest in bringing in Austin Rivers. The Knicks being the second.
Apparently, Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers’ father and coach of the 76ers, convinced his son to go to New York instead of Philadelphia as he would likely get a better chance for playing time and also due to his tremendous relationship with former Boston Celtics assistant, Tom Thibodeau.
Matisse Thybulle is a defensive-minded wing that has shown he is capable of hitting the 3-ball. Precisely what the Knicks need today.
Thybulle is struggling mightily this season and I believe that has a lot to do with the coaching change.
Under former 76ers coach, Brett Brown, Matisse Thybulle was objectively better. While none of his numbers really stand out too much, he did shoot around league average from long-range on 2.4 attempts.
Thybulle is certainly a work in progress, and with the new developmental staff the Knicks have, I believe he could be a very valuable piece to acquire.
This season, his numbers, most notably his 3-point shooting percentages are down. This is what makes me believe he can be had for little to nothing as the 76ers are clearly competing at a high level and could use a player like Austin Rivers who has playoff experience in his place.
Thybulle would bring a defensive intensity that not many Knicks players currently have in their arsenal and fits the timeline of the Knicks’ roster much better than he does with Philadelphia.
Austin Rivers fills a need for the Bulls. Would Otto Porter fit on the Knicks?
If the Bulls decide to blow it all up and start over and the Knicks can’t get their paws on Zach LaVine in a trade, Otto Porter Jr wouldn’t be the worst consolation prize.
Assuming Porter Jr comes back from his back injury without any complications, the Knicks should definitely see if the former Georgetown standout is available via trade.
The Bulls do this trade for a few reasons, largely due in part to their lack of point guard depth. The team doesn’t have any true, serviceable point guards on the roster.
The best facilitator on the team currently is probably Ryan Arcidiacono, and even that’s a stretch.
Reggie Bullock fills in the Bulls’ wing depth, while Elfrid Payton and Austin Rivers could both split time as the bench ballhandlers.
Otto Porter Jr is on an expiring contract, so instead of him leaving in free agency, the Bulls instead grab a few pieces that could potentially stick around a little while and a 2nd round pick to help sweeten the pot.
Porter Jr would immediately start on Day 1 as the Knicks’ new small forward. While he’s maybe not the 18 point per game scorer he once was, what he does bring with him is size and shooting.
Standing at 6’8 on the wing, even though he’s not normally touted as a lockdown defender, all defense really is, is effort and he’d be forced to give that under Coach Thibs.
Porter Jr is also shooting 40% from 3, and that would help space the floor for RJ Barrett and Julius Randle to do what they do best.
Lastly, why not bring back Luke Kornet? He’s like 8 feet tall and can shoot 3’s. He’d be a bench guy and could either be flipped again to anyone who wants him or cut.
This Magic and Knicks swap including Austin Rivers is a bit of a doozy.
I know what some of you are thinking…The Magic would NEVER do this trade. You might be right, but just hear me out.
The Magic stink. They have not gotten any better in years. It’s time to fire Steve Clifford and blow it up and get a coach more focused on developing the younger guys and rebuilding.
They have a lot of guys that contenders could want, like Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon, the aforementioned Frenchman Evan Fournier, and sharpshooting Terrence Ross.
Absorbing Ross’s $13.5 million contract would be a lot easier for the Knicks to accomplish than most other teams. He is on a front-loaded deal where the annual salary drops a bit each season over the next 2 years which would help the Knicks during free agency time.
Evan Fournier on the other hand is on an expiring deal and similar to Otto Porter Jr, he can leave in the summer and the Magic get nothing.
The Magic have been reluctant to extend Fournier, so getting a few young pieces in his place in Frank Ntilikina (whom the Magic have previously shown interest in) and Kevin Knox could help in their inevitable rebuild.
Additionally, Reggie Bullock is on an expiring contract and the Magic could choose to keep him around on a relatively cheap deal as a veteran presence off the bench or choose to let him walk.
Nobody knows if Markelle Fultz is going to come back at 110% from his early-season ACL tear, so having a veteran off the bench for the rest of this season and next in Austin Rivers will greatly help Cole Anthony grow as an NBA player.
Rivers is also a massive upgrade over Michael Carter-Williams in my opinion.
I only do this deal if it’s a sign and trade for Fournier on a contract that doesn’t inhibit the Knicks from having flexibility moving forward or he comes the New York with an under-the-table handshake deal in place where he agrees to sign for something not ridiculous.