NY Knicks: 3 Kevin Knox trades to consider before the season starts

It seems as if the NY Knicks are all set on their major moves this offseason.

They have roughly $4 million left to play around with, assuming they don’t perhaps cut Luca Vildoza and re-sign him or make any additional trades from here.

The Knicks currently have their 10-man roster pretty much set, so it looks like Kevin Knox, who’s entering a contract season will get stuck as the 3rd small and power forward off the bench yet again.

In fact, if for some reason Alec Burks were to need to miss time, I think Quentin Grimes would get a look as the 2nd unit’s small forward before Kevin Knox does.

So clearly, his playing time is going to be limited yet again.

Should the NY Knicks move on from Kevin Knox this offseason?

Knox did show initiative and requested to play in this year’s Summer League, but unfortunately got pulled from the roster due to a health and safety protocol violation.

In my opinion, he only wanted to play in the Summer League to audition himself for his next potential team.

Similar to Dennis Smith Jr from last season, Kevin Knox was going to ride the bench all season until the front office found the right trade partners.

I think he has the size and shooting touch to become a serviceable combo-forward off the bench in this league one day, but needs the playing time on the court to help him develop and get him to that point.

If he wastes another season on the Knicks’ 3rd unit, it won’t get him any closer to where I’m sure he’d like to be.

So, therefore, the goal of this article is to find Kevin Knox a team that makes sense for him.

We’re gonna be looking at teams that are rebuilding and have the space for him inside their 10 to 12 man rotation.

Here are 3 Kevin Knox trades I’d like the Knicks to consider before the season starts.

Would you consider this NY Knicks trade for Myles Turner?

Oh, have we done this one before? I didn’t know…

I’m as big a fan of Myles Turner as anyone and I think he would provide a much higher upside than both Nerlens Noel and Mitchell Robinson.

He might be a superior defender to both of them, and once Coach Thibs gets his hands on a talent like that, we’re off to the races.

While the defensive upside could be questioned, there’s no doubt that he offers a much higher scoring ceiling from all 3 levels.

Myles Turner, a favorite trade target of mine, is a career 13 points per game scorer and has shown the ability to get buckets from mid-range and from deep.

Just 2 seasons ago, he shot 39% from 3-point land.

The most intriguing part about a potential Turner trade is that he’s just 24 years old and won’t be turning 25 until March of 2022, so he fits well within the rest of the Knicks’ young nucleus.

As shown above, there have been rumors swirling in regards to a Turner trade, and the fact that he’s workout partners with Julius Randle could help this trade come into fruition sooner than later.

I’ve mentioned this in full detail in several articles in the past, so there’s no need to go into a full in-depth breakdown of Indiana’s cap situation but let’s just say it’s not pretty.

For a team as ‘just ok’ as they are, they’re locked into a bunch of lengthy and expensive contracts as they were one of the favorites in the East just a few seasons ago but just could never figure themselves out.

I’m sure they’d like to shed some salary moving forward, so if they think Mitch would re-sign for less than what Myles Turner is getting now, it could be a wise decision for them.

Or perhaps, Indiana could get another team involved and move Mitch there instead of dealing with his extension themselves.

Knox is obviously entering the last year of his rookie-scale deal, so his salary will only be on the books for another season and then they can decide what to do with him at the end of next season.

I believe the Knicks make this trade even with giving Nerlens Noel the extension they did, because similarly to Mitch, Turner has had his fair share of nagging injuries, so splitting time at the 5 with Noel could be a great fit.

Would you consider this Kevin Knox to Orlando Magic trade?

So this one’s obviously not a ‘sexy’ or ‘flashy’ trade by any means, but it’s a realistic trade for both teams.

Last season, a straight Mo Bamba for Kevin Knox swap could have made sense but ever since the Magic had their little fire sale at the trade deadline, it seems Bamba should get a little more burn on a rebuilding team.

They no longer have Nikola Vucevic, so that idea is dead in the water.

This trade concept is basically a game of cat and mouse between the two organizations.

The Magic do this trade because they think Kevin Knox is a better player than whomever they can grab in the 2nd round of the 2022 NBA Draft.

After all, Knox will only be turning 22 years old this month, so there’s still plenty of time to see if there’s any worthwhile upside to coax out of him.

The Knicks believe they can grab someone worth more to them in the 2nd round than Kevin Knox would be worth if he were re-signed next offseason.

Seeing how Knox is from Tampa Bay, only but a stone’s throw away from Orlando, maybe some home cooking would do him some good.

The Magic are likely to move on from a lot of the guys they currently have playing either wing position.

Terrence Ross’s name actually came up in some trade rumors with the Knicks before the draft, and he’s making a nice chunk of money that Orlando has no business continuing to pay him, so Ross will likely be going to the highest bidder either this offseason or at the deadline.

Gary Harris who was acquired in the Aaron Gordon trade last season is on an expiring deal and probably wants no part of being in Orlando, so he’ll likely either be bought out or traded as soon as possible.

Kevin Knox could come in and back up both forward positions pretty much as soon as his plane lands in Florida.

This trade would net the Knicks yet another draft pick in the 2022 draft, and similarly to this most recent one, they’ll have 4 picks yet again.

Two in the first round and two in the second.

This class isn’t anywhere near the same caliber as the 2021 class, but Orlando’s pick should still be in the 30’s somewhere.

So yet again, Leon Rose and Brock Aller get the Knicks another early 2nd rounder where they can perhaps grab a 1st round talent that slips.

DJ Augustin and Tom Thibodeau could reunite on the NY Knicks

Ok, so this idea is waaaaaayyy out there and unlikely to happen but it’s fun to fantasize about it.

As you can see, I didn’t even waste my time picking which of the Knicks’ second-rounders would be going to Houston, nor which of the 17 million first-round picks Houston’s got at their disposal would be coming to New York.

We’re exploring the concept of the trade and the reasons why it happens, not the exact trade down to the decimals.

But I digress…

Basically, Houston brings in another young wing to add to their young up-and-coming nucleus that can backup the 3 or the 4.

They also get a couple more 2nd round picks to add to the bevy of selections they’ve got coming over the next decade.

The Knicks absorb DJ Augustin’s contract and get another future first-rounder for doing so.

I’d happily take a Brooklyn 1st round pick because guys like Walt Perrin in the Knicks’ front office live in the later parts of drafts.

Augustin is due $7 million this season but just $333,333 in guaranteed money next season, so he could either be waived immediately and stretched or could be a very serviceable 3rd string point guard and then waived next year.

If he’s waived next season, the Knicks could stretch the contract over 3 seasons so DJ would only be due $111,111 for each of those years.

Barely an inconvenience towards future cap space.

Augustin has also been on the record stating that he enjoys playing for Tom Thibodeau, so perhaps a reunion could work on both party’s favors.