NY Knicks: 3 Perimeter Guard trade targets to consider
By James Ryder
Should the NY Knicks consider trading for Talen Horton-Tucker?
I’ll admit, this is kind of cheating.
Is it really fair to call a player who shoots 25% from three a “perimeter player?”
Probably not, but Talen Horton-Tucker is 6’4 and listed as a shooting guard/small forward, so I’ll take it.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ role players have been ghastly this year.
Even if LeBron James and Anthony Davis had not missed a combined 38 games so far, and if Russell Westbrook wasn’t hitting the side of the backboard nightly, it would be hard to imagine they’d be much higher than where they currently are out West (9th seed).
THT simply has no role on this team since he needs the ball to be effective, something that doesn’t mesh well with the other Lakers I just listed.
LA needs reinforcements badly but is in cap hell with very little assets.
It would be a huge shock if their most valuable and movable player, THT, wasn’t dealt. Maybe the Knicks can be the team that acquires him.
THT might not be a shooter, but he’s still a compact, strong player who can get buckets and play serviceable defense inside and out. If the 21-year-old can get that jumper right, he’d make for a great small-ball wing.
Getting him on the roster could end up creating the same problem they have with Cam Reddish, but that shouldn’t stop the Knicks from making an offer.
You can’t have too much young talent. THT will still have two years left on his contract past this season, making him a valuable asset they can flip if they can’t find a role for him on the team long-term.
Just like Bernie Sanders, I am once again asking for your support of an Alec Burks/Kemba Walker trade foundation.
A potential deal could be Burks, Walker, and the 2023 Dallas FRP for THT, Wayne Ellington, and Kent Bazemore (Knicks would waive Ellington and/or Bazemore).
Or, since the Lakers could use better big-men, the Knicks can make the same deal but switch out Walker for Nerlens Noel.
By the way, the Lakers could include a number of different players (who make $1.6 million or less) as the second piece besides THT in a deal that the Knicks can waive.
I expect the Lakers to get better offers than this, but you never know. It couldn’t hurt the Knicks to try.