The New York Knicks were, briefly, a pleasant surprise in the East but have quickly fallen back out of playoff position as we’ve crossed over the midway point of the season. New York knows it needs some help without mortgaging the future, so they are quietly exploring some trade options and the Golden State Warriors are reportedly interested.
ESPN’s Ian Begley reported on the various trade options the Knicks may have at the deadline this season, and their big men are apparently a big target. The piece’s first concern is the possibility of Kemba Walker coming to the Knicks, but that deal seems a bit more complicated than what is more likely, which is the Knicks move one of their role playing big men to a contender.
While Kristaps Porzingis might be the desire of any NBA franchise, he is not on the market because Phil Jackson is no longer running the show and trying to send him a message. Instead, teams are interested in acquiring one of the Knicks’ bigs that occupy space next to the Latvian superstar.
Starting center Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn and other Knicks forwards seem to be more likely to go, with O’Quinn reportedly drawing the eyes of the defending champs.
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 those 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.”
According to ESPN, Willy Hernangomez has also gotten attention from a number of teams, but O’Quinn in particular has outperformed his $4.1 million contract that makes him a very attractive trade piece.
Kanter has played a much bigger role for the Knicks this year, but his deal at $20.5 million is much less attractive than O’Quinn’s. Both players have a player option after this season — $18.6 million for Kanter and $4.2 million for O’Quinn — meaning even if O’Quinn did opt in, which seems unlikely considering his success this season, the long term cost for a contender is negligible.
Either way, it’s tough to say whether the Warriors can find the disposable assets necessary to swing a trade, but it’s clear the Knicks will be willing to figure something out as they try to retool things in New York. Golden State wanting to upgrade their bench five spot seems like nitpicking, but the Warriors haven’t gotten much out of JaVale McGee this season and may want a little added insurance behind Zaza Pachulia, David West and Jordan Bell if it can be had for a reasonable price.
