The New York Knicks have been on a roller coaster of unmet expectations and wisps of hope the past few years, a team too good to tank and too bad to become meaningful contenders. They have young players with untapped potential butting against overrated veterans clinging to relevance, and it is a mess for head coach Tom Thibodeau to sort through, especially since he only has one last former Bulls player to hand minutes to.
Yet through it all, there is something real at the core of this roster, and it’s why fans continue to have hope. Jalen Brunson looks worth every penny that the Knicks paid him this offseason, and the Knicks continue to draft well. With the exception of the Evan Fournier contract, the current front office has mostly made smart decisions trying to mold this lumpy clay into something real.
The front office becomes front and center in the latest trade rumors, and it’s not because of anything specific they have done. Rather, it’s who they are: Leon Rose, the Knicks’ Team President, is a former player agent with CAA, a group that represents a large number of NBA players. That connection has been a fruitful one, as both Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein are CAA clients signed this past summer.
The New York Knicks could have a hook-up on the trade market in the latest rumors.
How could that connection matter now? As NBA trade season approaches in force, at least one prominent CAA client is expected to be discussed between teams, and the Knicks could be near the front of the line to bring him in.
The pending free agent Knicks could land via trade: Kyle Kuzma
The brilliant Eric Pincus recently covered some of the latest NBA trade rumors over at Bleacher Report, and one of the key players discussed was Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. The former NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers is in the final year of his deal, making $13 million.
He is also having a breakout season, averaging 21.4 points per game as part of a three-headed attack for the Wizards. He is hitting a career-best 46.2 percent of his shots, is facilitating the offense more than ever, and is rightfully expecting a significant payday this summer.
Pincus relays that it’s unlikely he is back with the Wizards next year, and Washington’s six-game losing streak has dropped them to 12th in the Eastern Conference. They could decide at any time not to prioritize this season, and if they do so it makes sense to feel out the trade market for Kuzma.
Teams trading for Kuzma will want assurances that he will re-sign with them, and it sounds like Kuzma wants over $20 million per year, and to join either a contender or a big-market team. The Knicks might not have a lockdown on the contender part, but they are certainly a big market.
And the final card the Knicks can play: Kyle Kuzma is a CAA client, and his agent once worked very closely with Leon Rose. In his piece, Pincus highlights this connection and names the Knicks as a prime suitor for Kuzma. His trade market will be depressed by his salary expectations and his desire to play in certain markets, which gives the Knicks an advantage and will make the cost to bring him in more manageable.
What would it look like for the Knicks to trade for Kyle Kuzma?
Kyle Kuzma’s fit on the New York Knicks
To examine Kyle Kuzma’s fit on the Knicks, we first have to identify who will be leaving the team to head back to the Wizards. Pincus tosses out the names of a few young players, like Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish, and points to the Knicks’ treasure trove of extra first-round picks.
The name not mentioned is Julius Randle, and that is the key piece here. If the Knicks add Kuzma to start at the 3 next to Randle, they will be shooting themselves in the foot (or leg, perhaps, for all of you Plaxico Burress fans). Kuzma is blossoming as a scorer this season but is shooting just 33.3 percent from deep, right in line with his career marks. Add in a non-shooting center and you have the definition of a stifled offense.
If the Knicks find a way to move Randle, however, suddenly they might be cooking with gas. Kuzma is probably a better defender than Randle and plays with much more consistency, although Randle has a higher ceiling as a scorer on the nights when his jumper is falling. He’s also 28 and under contract for three more seasons at an average of $27.5 million. Kuzma, even on a new deal, would likely be much cheaper. If the Knicks believe Kuzma can replace what Randle is bringing, making the swap could be a smart move.
That’s a whole lot of ifs, though, especially if the Knicks add Kuzma without moving Randle. The Knicks already have a logjam at power forward, and adding another doesn’t help their spacing issues. Yet if the roster reconfiguration is more significant, the CAA connection could give them an advantage in adding a solid scoring forward, and the Knicks can ultimately use all of the help they can get.