Who says no to three-team trade idea? The Knicks do!

As December 15 approaches and almost every player in the league becomes eligible to be traded, the number of whispers and rumors and allegations and suggestions rises to a fever pitch. The New York Knicks, as a team floating in the middle and in the league’s largest media market, are at the center of the maelstrom.

Every piece that comes out mentioning trade rumors has to mention the Knicks. Could they trade this player? Would they facilitate that three-team deal? They have a collection of disappointing stars, medium-sized veteran contracts, and inexpensive and intriguing young players. No player seems off-limits at this point.

Fanspo is an excellent website for trying out fake trades with their customizable trade machine, and they sometimes publish some of their favorite trade ideas from their followers. This week they did so with a three-team trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, and the Knicks, and asked the question “Who says no to this three-team deal?”

Who says no to this three-team trade involving Cam Reddish, Derrick Rose, and Isaiah Hartenstein? The Knicks do!

You can track some of the logic for the other two teams involved here. The Los Angeles Lakers get off of Russell Westbrook’s contract and jettison some role players who aren’t in the rotation, swapping them for Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and Cam Reddish, an instant boost to the rotation.

The Pacers get those two Lakers first-round picks and some solid role players, including a replacement at starting center in Isaiah Hartenstein and a combo guard off the bench in Derrick Rose. It’s an excellent asset play for the Pacers as they play a more patient game.

The Knicks, however? This deal is an immediate non-starter for them. They give up Reddish and Hartenstein without getting off of Evan Fournier’s contract, and then Rose goes out as well without any draft compensation. In return? They get a whole lot of… well, nothing.

Aaron Nesmith still has some potential as a shooting wing, but it’s his third season and he’s still just a 33.2 percent three-point shooter for his career with little else to his game. T.J. McConnell won’t crack the Knicks’ rotation. Damian Jones and Kendrick Nunn are essentially dead money.

This is the problem with three-team trades. They are a popular construction to move money around and try to get a fair balance for a certain team or even two, but it’s incredibly hard to make things balance out for all three. In this construction the Pacers come out in excellent shape, the Lakers get some of what they want, and the Knicks get nothing.

There are ways to tinker with this deal or other similar ones, but it’s the inherent structure that is flawed. Adding a third team has to mean finding an outcome that works for everyone, and there is no benefit to the Knicks here. They are looking to improve their team, and adding roster flotsam gets them no closer to achieving their goals.

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