I haven’t heard the words “NY Knicks” and “buyout market” in the same sentence in a very, very long time.
The fact that any of the players mentioned in this article makes even a stitch of sense for the Knicks to go after if and when they’re bought out makes me smile from ear to ear.
It means we made it. It means the team we love is legit.
The second half of the Knicks’ season is looking to be a really tough go, so the team can use all the talent that they can possibly acquire.
There are some players they could look at that are viable trade targets, like Terry Rozier, Lonzo Ball, or Victor Oladipo.
Who is a buyout candidate you’d like to see the NY Knicks sign?
But then, there’s a handful across the league that the Knicks could take the ‘wait-and-see’ approach with where they wouldn’t have to exhaust any draft capital or trade away valuable young players for.
Certain teams have little to no leverage in the trade market for some players, so a lot of contending teams may opt to just wait and watch who becomes available after the March 25th trade deadline to help bolster their rosters during their playoff push.
There are a bunch of decent players that are strong buyout candidates, as mentioned here by Hoops Habit, another sister site of Daily Knicks’.
Here we’ll be mentioning a few from their list, along with a couple that I came up with whom I think the Knicks would be wise to target.
Here are 4 potential buyout candidates New York could grab.
NY Knicks Buyout Target #1 – Trevor Ariza
Let’s bring my boy back to the orange and blue, make it happen, Leon!
Trevor Ariza is the quintessential “3-and-D” player you want on your team.
He comes with all the playoff experience you could possibly ask for and would be a great piece to add to a young Knicks’ roster.
I cant see the Thunder finding a trade partner for Ariza unless they attach him to another player as I did in a recent article, and even then it’s unlikely.
As many know, Trevor Ariza was a promising, second-round selection for the New York Knicks back in 2004.
He was just starting to come into his own when the Knicks decided to move him along with Penny Hardaway in exchange for Steve Francis — this is one of the many moves they’ve made that have kept the team bad for this long.
Ariza has jumped around the league a bit over the years and has been traded a total of 10 times in his career which is actually an NBA record!
Due to some personal reasons, Ariza has not played an NBA game since roughly 12 months ago, but can you blame him? He knows he’s gonna end up either bought out or traded elsewhere so why burn any more tread on the ol’ tires?
Ariza can play the 3 or the 4 spots and shoots 35% from 3 over the course of his career.
The Knicks must do their due diligence on Ariza once he is inevitably bought out by the Thunder.
NY Knicks Buyout Target #2 – Andre Drummond
I am a huge proponent of the Knicks staying as far away from Andre Drummond via trade, but if he’s bought out and decides himself he would like to be in New York, I’m all for that, why not?
The main reason why the Knicks are the favorites to trade for Drummond is due to their league-leading cap space.
They’re the only team that would have to send back a minimal amount of salary to Cleveland to be able to facilitate a trade for Drummond.
Still, though, the Knicks would have to send back between 2-3 players depending on who it is that they decide to move to be able to absorb Andre Drummond’s huge $28 million contract this season.
It would be a tough pill to swallow, to say the least. Not only would the Knicks have to give up several valuable young assets in the deal, but there’s also no guarantee that Drummond would then re-sign after on a fair contract.
Fact is, there’s no need for Drummond in the short-term or long term unless the team decides to move on from Mitch in a deal that nets the team a star.
I can’t wrap my head around a trade for Drummond because it looks like he’d only be with the team for half of a season and the playoffs this year.
If the Knicks grab him off of waivers, 100% let’s get it done!
If not, no dice.
NY Knicks Buyout Target #3 – PJ Tucker
PJ Tucker is by far and away the most likely to be traded on this list, as he’s got the most team-friendly contract.
There’s a laundry list of playoff-bound teams that not only could use Tucker’s services…they kind of NEED what he does in order to compete in the playoffs.
One team that comes to mind is Knicks’ rival, Boston Celtics.
I would have to imagine a team like that, and several others, are currently on the phone with the Rockets as we speak trying to see what it is that they can part with to bring Tucker to their squad.
Tucker is the only player on this list I would not be upset if the Knicks were to trade for, as I’ve explored that idea in the past.
He fits everything Tom Thibodeau wants in a player and brings grittiness and defense with him.
Veteran presences with playoff experience are a valuable commodity in the NBA.
If for some reason no teams offered anything for PJ Tucker and he hit the open market, I would be shocked.
If that were to happen and the Knicks don’t exhaust any and all resources imaginable to bring Tucker to New York, then I’d lose a tad bit of confidence in the team moving forward because Tucker is everything this team needs right now.
NY Knicks Buyout Target #4 – Otto Porter Jr
Another under-the-radar trade target of mine in a previous article, Otto Poter Jr could be exactly what the Knicks need.
While he’s been injury-prone throughout his career, he still possesses several attributes that the Knicks are currently lacking, primarily his 3-point shooting.
I could see OPJ starting for the Knicks at the 3-spot but playing on a bit of a pitch count in order to try and keep him as healthy as possible for the playoffs.
Otto Porter Jr is a career 40% 3-point shooter, so between the spacing he and Julius Randle create, it would open up more lanes for RJ to do RJ things.
Like my colleagues at Hoops Habit mentioned, his salary is far too large for any contender to be able to absorb so I wouldn’t be surprised if he were traded somewhere with the intent of releasing him allowing him to freely sign where he so chooses.
I purposely left OPJ at the end of this list because there are many more moving parts involved with his situation so the likelihood he ends up a Knick at any point this year is slim.
Maybe perhaps Porter Jr comes to New York alongside Zach Lavine in a massive blockbuster deal!
Just kidding.