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What's the story?
The New York Knicks are exploring some trade options before the trade deadline and the defending champs might be interested.
In case you didn't know...
The Warriors tried to trade center JaVale McGee in a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks inquired about the availability of the rookie Jordan Bell, but Warriors told Bell is unavailable.
The heart of the matter
The New York Knicks turned out to be a pleasant surprise at the start of the season, but have quickly plummeted down to the bottom as the season has progressed. ESPN’s Ian Begley reported on various trade options they can consider before the trade deadline, and apparently, their big men are a big target.
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Kristaps Porzingis for obvious reason is not on the market, but the starting center Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn and other Knicks forwards are more likely to go. O’Quinn reportedly had drawn the attention from the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors.
“Starting center Enes Kanter and backup center Kyle O’Quinn also have received interest from opposing executives, sources said, with members of the Golden State Warriors among the executives to express interest in 27-year-old-big man O’Quinn. O’Quinn has certainly outperformed his contract,” said David Jacober, a strategic planning consultant for NBA teams.” His diversity on offense makes him attractive to a number of teams, such as Houston and Golden State””.
Although Kanter has played a much bigger role for the Knicks this year, his deal is less attractive than O’Quinn’s. Both have a player’s option after this season with $18.6 million for Kanter and $4.2 million for O’Quinn. If Quinn did opt-in, which seems unlikely considering the success he has had this season, the long-term cost for a contender is negligible.
What's next?
Its tough to say that the Warriors will be able to find the correct pieces to make a plausible trade, but the Knicks will surely be looking reorganizing things in New York. The trade deadline is Feb 8th.
Author's take
The best team in the NBA wanting to upgrade their bench seems like nitpicking but they haven’t received anything from JaVale McGee compared to last year. Therefore the Dubs might be looking to add a little assurance behind Zaza Pachulia, David West, and Jordan Bell.
