NY Knicks Trade Rumors: Expected to be aggressive, which teams are they targeting?
By Adam Kester
Will The NY Knicks go all-in for Lonzo Ball?
What first seemed to be just a popular idea among fans has quickly turned into a real reported possibility. Lonzo Ball has been rumored to be high on Leon Rose’s wishlist and has fans within the organization. He definitely checks a lot of boxes.
Lonzo Ball is 23 years old and on the last year of his contract – He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Lonzo Ball’s value is on the upswing. He’s been playing at a high level over the last few months, to the point where the Pelicans have been debating whether or not they themselves want to simply anoint him their point guard of the future.
The problems for the Pelicans are that they just selected a point guard in the first round of the 2020 Draft, Kira Lewis Jr. They also aren’t certain Lonzo Ball will even want to stay with the team, so they are unquestionably weighing different options.
For the Knicks it makes a ton of sense – Lonzo Ball fits the mold of a young, ascending player who also fills a major positional void as a pass-first point guard. He won’t demand a max contract, and he won’t strip the team of their most valuable assets. The biggest package for Lonzo Ball would likely include a future first-round pick (Which the Knicks have a surplus of). Perhaps the NY Knicks go all-in, or maybe they wait for free agency, but Ball isn’t the only Pelican connected to the Knicks.
NY Knicks: JJ Reddick would add shooting at a cheap cost
The other name that’s been frequently tossed around is JJ Reddick. Reddick is a classic cheap 1-year rental for teams looking to make a playoff push: He’s on an expiring contract and he’s a specialist in one specific area: Shooting.
Reddick has been a marksman throughout his career, although his numbers have dipped in his age-36 season with the Pelicans – He’s shooting just 36.4% from 3. It makes little to no sense for the Pelicans to hold onto Reddick this season, and they’ll surely field a lot of calls from interested teams.
Given the Knicks recent backcourt depth issues and lack of offense, Reddick makes sense. He probably won’t cost any more than a future 2nd round pick, but the Knicks certainly won’t be the only team inquiring about him.