NY Knicks: 3 Draft “busts” the Knicks could trade for
By Mark Wessol
NY Knicks Trade #1: Jarrett Culver
A player who can guard the opposing team’s best player will always provide value to any organization given the opportunity and make a very long career out of it.
In case you have been living under a rock, Tom Thibodeau coaches his teams to defend.
Why not try and trade for an athletic wing who is all about grit in Jarrett Culver?
If you watched college basketball at all during the 2018-2019 season, you know how special Culver was, leading his team to a national championship appearance and even earning himself a number 6 overall draft selection. He is a versatile wing who is craft around the rim and his length helps on defense.
So far in his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Culver is averaging 8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Terrible stats? Not necessarily.
Worth a six overall draft pick? Likely not and is starting to be graded as a bust.
The Timberwolves are a train wreck this season, they have fired their head coach already and are fighting to not have the worst record in the league.
Why is Culver not playing better?
While there is no definite answer, it could be a number of things, mainly just his situation with the Timberwolves.
Ricky Rubio was recently asked about Minnesota in which he said, “I don’t feel like this is building something.” Culver could be thinking the same thing too, along with his other teammates.
For once, the culture in Madison Square Garden is starting to come together and could be a potential home for Jarrett Culver. Reggie Bullock and Detroit’s second-rounder this year for Jarrett Culver would be the deal to get it done and make sense for both sides.
Why would both teams entertain this trade?
New York would be dishing off Bullock who, with all respect, should not be a starter on the Knicks, and taking on a project in Culver could be beneficial.
Minnesota’s real prize in this trade would the draft pick from Detroit, which would almost serve as a late first in a very, very talented draft class and they need all the help they can get.
Theoretically, they could be drafting a player who has a better day one impact than Culver has had so far in his NBA career.
Jarrett Culver still has the talent and skill set that we’ve seen from him in college.
Maybe he is a “late bloomer” considering he was only ranked as a three-star recruit coming out of high school with minimal offers. This would definitely be a project for the Knicks coaching staff but could pay off big time in the end.