Knicks must steer clear of 2 of Bleacher Report’s top 3 trade targets
It’s been almost a month since the New York Knicks ended the 2021-22 regular season, so the speculation about the team’s possible offseason moves has been in full swing.
The two potential moves that have commanded the most attention are either executing a trade for Donovan Mitchell or signing Jalen Brunson in free agency. Both would require New York to be willing to give up a few of the players who are currently on the roster.
Two other players that haven’t been brought up much in discussions are Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon and Denver’s Monte Morris. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote a piece about how he thinks that both, along with Mitchell, should be the Knicks’ top three trade targets.
However, the thing is, New York doesn’t need to add Brogdon or Morris to the roster, even if the team can’t land Mitchell.
The New York Knicks need to stay away from trading for these 2 players.
Enough has been said about the Knicks possibly trading for Mitchell and at the moment, the ball’s in his court. The New York native said after Utah’s season ended with a first-round exit that he wouldn’t think about a trade for another week. That was last Thursday.
So while fans wait to hear what Mitchell has to say in terms of his future, let’s explore why the Knicks shouldn’t trade for Brogdon or Morris.
Buckley listed 29-year-old Brogdon as New York’s top trade target. It certainly helps that he’s on a team like the Pacers, who somehow finessed the Kings for point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Buckley wrote:
"Brogdon could make a ton of sense for the ‘Bockers. He can handle the ball, but he won’t dominate it, meaning Julius Randle and RJ Barrett would still have their chances to create.The 29-year-old’s shooting (career 37.6 percent from deep) would make their lives easier on offense, and his versatility might help the defense get back on track after it slipped from fourth to 11th in efficiency, per NBA.com."
He would be able to help the team on offense, sure, but his presence in the starting lineup isn’t worth sacrificing the minutes of younger players like Quentin Grimes and Cam Reddish. And if the Knicks don’t trade Evan Fournier, a trade for Brogdon would make even less sense. There’s also Alec Burks.
And there’s the 2022 draft that’s happening next month. New York currently has the 11th-best lottery odds and could pick a guard in the first round. It depends on what other moves the Knicks make this summer, but adding another guard like Brogdon to the arsenal wouldn’t be the most sensible move.
The same goes for Morris, who would be a backup point guard option. Let’s say that New York does sign Brunson, which would mean that Immanuel Quickley should be the backup point guard. Then there’s also Derrick Rose.
Morris did perform well for the Nuggets in Jamal Murray’s absence, but the Knicks don’t need another backup guard. Even if Rose were to be traded this summer, New York has Miles McBride. The last thing that Tom Thibodeau needs is another unjustified excuse to give a veteran heavy minutes over a younger player.
While all three players could be considered viable options for the Knicks, Mitchell is the only one who’s worth pursuing. And the Jazz don’t seem to be willing to let him go, so it’d have to be on the guard’s terms. The wait continues.
