With it being unknown how well the New York Knicks will perform in 2022-23, there is a very good chance that we will see New York make a trade or two. This could go both ways, if the Knicks are playing well, we could see them move young players for “win-now” veterans, or if the Knicks are playing poorly, they could trade away veterans for future assets.
Last season, we saw New York be hesitant to make trades at the deadline, causing many fans of the team to become angry with the front office. Fans believed that the team should’ve moved on from some of the veterans to free up space for the younger players.
While the front office fixed these issues this offseason with the trades of Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, and Kemba Walker, this is something that should have happened last season. These players not only likely had more value, but the minutes that could’ve gone to the young stars could’ve proven to be more useful.
Regardless, with the Knicks front office seeming more trade-friendly, there are a couple of players on the team who could potentially be traded no matter how good or bad the team plays.
Here are 3 Knicks players that could be traded in the upcoming season
3: Evan Fournier
Despite several rumors stating that the Knicks were looking to move on from the 29-year-old sharpshooter, it looks like Evan Fournier could be here to stay for the foreseeable future. That is, at least, if New York performs well this season, as his elite shooting ability could provide a ton of value to a contending team.
However, if the Knicks disappoint this season, it would make sense to move on from Fournier to not only clear up cap space but to free up minutes for some of the more unproven young players on the roster.
While the likelihood of the Knicks performing poorly this season is small after the offseason moves they made, it is still possible. That means that they must consider trading veterans like Fournier if the season goes downhill.
The price for Fournier may not be high for an opposing team because while he is an elite shooter, he does not excel at anything else. So, if New York can either get a protected future first or an unproven young player from a contending team, it could work out.
Trading a player like Fournier would clear up room for players like Quentin Grimes, Cam Reddish, and even Miles McBride. All three players have the potential to bring value to a good team, which is what the Knicks will be in the future.
2: Cam Reddish
After sending Kevin Knox, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2022 Charlotte Hornets first-round pick to the Hawks for Cam Reddish, the 22-year-old wing did not see the floor much due to Tom Thibodeau’s reluctance to play him.
While this is likely going to change after the Knicks traded away a few of their veterans this summer, it is still likely that Thibodeau won’t give him many minutes. If this ends up being the case, New York should look to maximize the value Reddish still has and trade him for future picks.
In a similar fashion to Fournier, Reddish has been the face of several trade rumors, with some of the teams noted being the Lakers, Heat, and Jazz. If the Knicks can get a future pick or even a valuable player from any of these teams, then they could profit big time.
In my previous article, I had Reddish making the rotation as the backup SF behind RJ Barrett. While I believe this is what New York should do, Thibodeau is such a question mark that it is hard to tell how often he will use Reddish.
As much as I would love to see Reddish succeed on the Knicks, I also don’t want to see his potential be wasted by the team. So, if he is not a stable part of the rotation this season, then I believe it would make sense to move on from the young wing.
1: Julius Randle
Whether it be his horrifically inefficient scoring, lack of effort on defense, emotional outbursts, or just the fact that he is taking away minutes from Obi Toppin, many Knicks fans have wanted to see Randle traded since the mid-point of last season after it became clear that he was not the same player he was in 2020-21.
Despite his stat line of 20.1 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 5.1 APG, Randle was often more of a negative on the floor than a positive. His shooting splits of 41.1% from the field and 30.8% from three, alongside his 3.4 turnovers per game compared to 5.1 assists per game, ruined what could’ve been a great stat line.
This isn’t even talking about his defense. While Randle was a very solid defender in 2020-21, his effort massively fell off in 2021-22, making him often a liability on that side of the ball.
Don’t get me wrong, I believe Randle still has a chance to improve his play and move into a more off-ball style of play being used as a slasher. However, if this does not change and he continues to play as he has in two out of his three seasons with the Knicks, then I believe it would be best for Randle to be traded.
In addition to Randle’s play, New York should look to trade him to free up minutes for Obi Toppin, who had several moments at the end of last season in which he proved he can be a valuable player if given the minutes.
While Randle’s value is likely at an all-time low, the Knicks could use him as a potential salary dump to free up cap space to re-sign some of the young players on the team.
I still believe in Julius Randle, however, he has had two bad seasons out of the three he has been with the team. While he could still hold value as an off-ball slasher, he has not played like this in three seasons, and I’m not sure if he would be willing to accept this role. If he does, good on him, as he not only would provide value, but he would also likely earn the respect of the fans back.
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