NY Knicks: 5 players most likely to be traded to Knicks at deadline

NY Knicks likely Trade Target #3 – Lonzo Ball

I am Team #ZO2NY through and through. I’ve traded for him more times than I can count.

I am also Team #donttradeforlonzothisyear.

I am supremely confident that Lonzo Ball will be a Knick before the 2021-22 season begins. I just don’t think they need to trade for him now to make that happen.

The asking price the Pelicans will demand is surely too high for a player on an expiring contract, and when you trade too much to get a player in your building for just a little while, you give them all the leverage at the negotiating table.

I’d like to see Lonzo sign with the Knicks for around $15-18 million annually across a 3-4 year deal.

I could see a team like Chicago swooping in and offering him upwards of $20 million per year, and that’s just not going to slide with me.

Had the Knicks traded one of their 1st-round picks along with some valuable young assets to bring Lonzo in, and then a team outbids them in the summer…now that’s just bad for business.

I know Leon Rose is going to continue to make moves where the Knicks come out the other side as the winners of the deal.

There’s no need to be desperate, and as I mentioned previously, the Knicks are 2-3 years ahead of the rebuild that was supposed to start just this year.

Let Lonzo go compete for a title with the Clippers…maybe he will make friends with Kawhi Leonard and the both of them will come to NY in the summer together.