3 expendable veterans the New York Knicks can trade away

The New York Knicks have had an up-and-down season thus far in 2022-23. After seemingly turning a corner in December with eight straight wins, they have countered with four straight losses to drop back to within a game of .500. The roller coaster continues.

Yet, even those four losses all came by single-digits to teams that made the playoffs last season, and a soft upcoming slate should help right the ship. The turnaround was fueled by the promotion of Quentin Grimes into the starting lineup and Miles McBride into the rotation, which dropped a couple of well-paid veterans onto the bench.

If the Knicks are at their best without these veterans, it behooves them to consider trading them to recoup value, be that draft ammunition for their next run at a star or a better-fitting veteran to plug into the mix. Let’s look at three such expendable veterans and why each should be a candidate to be traded.

3. Derrick Rose

Perhaps the most successful Tom Thibodeau transplant from his days coaching the Chicago Bulls was Derrick Rose, who has reinvented himself as a crafty scoring guard. Over his first calendar year with the Knicks, he averaged 13.6 points per game and hit over 40% of his 3-pointers.

That’s changed this year, as Rose’s minutes returning from injury have been halved and he’s now averaging just six points per game. His 3-point shot has dropped to 34.5%, and his defense is even worse than before. In short, the Knicks were right to demote him.

Even so, Rose has a long track record of being able to hit tough shots and has played very well the past few seasons. Another team trying to win may have use for a bench scorer and would give up a second-round pick and/or absorb his contract. If so, the Knicks should probably bite.