New York Knicks: Trading for Collin Sexton should be an offseason priority

New York Knicks: Collin Sexton’s fit on the roster

When healthy, the New York Knicks have a strong player manning each starting position. Mitchell Robinson is the team’s center. Breakout star Julius Randle is firmly cemented as the power forward. Pending a mega RJ Barrett is also the franchise’s future small forward with some combination of Immanuel Quickley and Reggie Bullock as the shooting guard.

The future of the point guard spot seems to be the most open. Derrick Rose is currently New York’s current best option. In fact, he proved to be the team’s go-to source of offense during the postseason games.

This isn’t a bad thing! Rose is a veteran leader with MVP-level experience. He is a good option to have when the games become tight. However, he is nearly 33-years-old with several devastating injuries in his history. He can hardly be considered as a long-term option.

A player like Sexton would provide a much more sustainable option. He would represent a massive upgrade over players like Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina, particularly from a scoring perspective. Payton, for instance, averaged 10.1 points per game while starting a number of contests for New York last season.

Imagine a world where that spot is replaced with a 20+ PPG scorer who has fringe All-Star potential. Now imagine that Coach Thibs can correct his defensive struggles and shape him into an above-average team defender.

Such addition could make a massive difference!

New York Knicks: What about the price?

At the end of the day, this type of trade would likely come down to the price tag. While adding a place like Sexton seems to make sense, too high a cost would certainly be a dealbreaker.

Kevin Knox is the first name that comes to mind as a tradable asset. While this would potentially be a good starting point, there is little to no chance he would be the main centerpiece of a trade. It would likely take at least a first-round pick (which is more realistic for New York now that their picks appear to be out of the lottery range), and possibly another middle-tier player.

While Cleveland may counter with a request for assets like pick-swaps, Mitchell Robinson, or Immanuel Quickley, New York would be wise not to acquiesce such demands.

While Sexton does have an appeal, the Knicks must remember that he is not a superstar on the level of a player like Lilliard (or even Simmons). This should be clearly reflected in any potential trade talks.

What do you think about a Sexton trade? And how much would you be willing to give up?