Are the Knicks eyeing Oladipo as their “Missing piece”?

The New York Knicks have been keeping tabs on different names around the league as the trade deadline approaches. The upcoming deadline is shrouded in mystery – There have been some big names floating around the rumor mill, but it’s hard to say anything big will end up happening.

One name that keeps reappearing is Houston Rockets’ guard Victor Oladipo. SNY’s Ian Begley recently reported on the latest Oladipo rumblings, noting that there are definitely some people within the Knicks’ organization that think Oladipo would have a tremendous positive impact on the team. Begley spoke on The Putback and said:

"“From a Knick perspective, I know there are people in the Knicks’ orgnization that see Oladipo as a really valuable addition to what they have now. I’m not sure how the top decision makers feel about Oladipo, but the Knicks would have to commit max money or close to max money to keep Oladipo in New York.”"

Begley’s comments bring up the biggest pros and the biggest cons when discussing whether a trade for Oladipo is worth it. Let’s look at the pros.

Victor Oladipo’s fit with the Knicks

If we’re analyzing what the Knicks need the most right now, it’s more offense on the wings. Offense doesn’t just mean scoring – It means playmaking for others, spacing the floor, being a threat off-ball, and more. Oladipo could fit right in at 2-guard and supply the Knicks with some newfound firepower.

Oladipo’s efficiency numbers are down this year, but you have to wonder if that is a result of the team around him. The Knicks offense as it stands right now can function against some lesser teams, but there have been long stretches of play this season where the offense has simply looked stagnant.

A lot of that has to do with the heavy minutes you’ll see Reggie Bullock play. Bullock is a fine player, but replacing him with Oladipo in the lineup would add an entirely new dimension to the team. Oladipo is currently averaging 20 points and just over 4 assists per game on the season.

Having Oladipo as the combo guard, RJ Barrett at the 3, and Randle at the 4 provides the team with a lot of multi-threat weapons on offense. Oladipo isn’t going to be asked to come in and be the hero, he just needs to play his part. Oladipo isn’t just a good playmaker, he’s careful with the ball as well (Something Thibodeau will love)- He ranks in the 76th percentile of shooting guards in turnover percentage (A very good number for someone with his high usage rate).

The other component of Oladipo’s game is defense –  The Knicks won’t be losing any of their top-tier team defense by inserting him into the starting lineup. Oladipo’s DRPM (Defensive Real +/-) is 7th among all shooting guards in the NBA. He plays competitive defense, and I don’t think Thibodeau will have to change anything about this team by adding Oladipo into his rotation.

Knicks: Oladipo’s cost, contract, and other concerns

Oladipo is 28 years old and on an expiring contract, so while the expiring contract will decrease his trade value, it also presents a lot of risk of him walking. Oladipo comes with significant injury history as well. The Rockets may even wait to trade him this offseason in a sign-and-trade.

Cost is everything with Oladipo – The Knicks have assets, but they don’t want to get careless with them. My co-editor Brad Dressler made a proposal for Oladipo a few weeks ago that would include Frank Ntilikina, two 2nd round picks, and then-Knick Dennis Smith Jr.

Obviously, Smith Jr. isn’t with the team anymore, but if you replace Smith Jr. with the Knicks’ current starter, Reggie Bullock, I think it’s still a reasonable package that in no way significantly damages the Knicks’ future or breaks up the core of the team.

If the Knicks can get Oladipo for a reasonable cost, you could certainly see why they’d want to add him. “Missing piece” doesn’t need to mean the missing piece of a 2021 championship. For the Knicks, it would be a missing piece to make them a real threat to win a playoff series in the East and let the league know that the new-look Knicks have arrived. It could help set them up for even more future success by attracting other players around the league.

If the Knicks added Oladipo at a reasonable cost, it would be exciting, but ultimately I think the team should and will stand-pat. A lot of that money can go into extending Julius Randle in the offseason, and the team may as well hold on to their assets in case a bigger, more risk-free star player comes up in trade talks down the road.