The New York Knicks have not been overly satisfied with what they've gotten out of Guerschon Yabusele this season. While he was a solid pickup in the offseason, he simply hasn't lived up to the hype. Well, if the front office wants to make a deal to send him elsewhere ahead of next month's trade deadline, they have one perfect option: dealing him to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Nick Richards.
NBA Insider Jake Fischer recently mentioned that the Knicks may have interest in adding additional frontcourt players ahead of the deadline to boost their overall depth. He writes: "Chatter about the Knicks' interest in veteran guard help has been prevalent since the offseason, but I also keep hearing that they have been exploring their options to bolster frontcourt depth behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson as well."
If this is true, Richards would be a fantastic option for this team to target. He's on an expiring contract at just $5 million, and he's barely playing for the Suns right now because of their own depth at power forward and center.
The Knicks should trade Yabusele for Nick Richards
With that in mind, Yabusele for Richards could hypothetically be a trade that gets done with no other assets needed to complete the deal. This would be a strong move given that Nick is a strong rebounder and rim protector on paper.
It's always nice to have those additional depth pieces that can help you grind out more wins in the regular season while being playoff rotation pieces as well. And in the grand scheme of things, taking a load off KAT and Robinson is a very smart play, given the Knicks' championship aspirations.
This is just a smart move, all things considered. If you're New York, you clearly don't want to keep Yabu around with the hopes that he'll eventually grow into that role you envisioned for him on day one. Patience is a virtue, but it's not one a lot of NBA teams have the luxury to exercise. It's a "what have you done for me lately" type of league, and failing to perform for a few months at a time can get the whole outside perspective on you as a player flipped in an instant.
That's why a pivot makes sense, and why this type of move for Richards would be seemingly such a good "right place, right time" action. If Phoenix is interested in seeing what Yabusele could do for them, it wouldn't make sense not to just give it a try.