Trade Candidate: Brandon Knight
As the February 23 trade deadline nears, Hoops Rumors will be taking a closer look at several players we consider trade candidates, discussing their value, speculating on potential destinations, and explaining why they are – or should be – available. These players won’t necessarily be dealt in advance of the deadline, but it won’t be surprising if they are.
Brandon Knight, G
Phoenix Suns
2016/17 salary: $12,606,250
Eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2020
Trade restrictions: None
Brandon Knight finds himself in an awkward position with the Suns. As a 25-year-old former lottery pick, Knight should be enjoying the prime of his career.
Instead, he’s on the fringes of the rotation for a rebuilding team. Thanks to the last contract he signed, Knight has financial security. What he needs now is a chance to revive his career but that contract could prevent that from happening.
The Suns are actively shopping the combo guard, which they already were doing prior to the season, but they’re having difficulty finding a taker. Knight is making $12.6MM this season and has three years remaining on the deal, which will pay him approximately $13.6MM, $14.6MM and $15.6MM the next three seasons.
On draft status alone, Knight projected to be one of the league’s best point guards by this time. He was selected eighth overall in 2011 by the Pistons, who were in desperate need of a floor leader and viewed Knight as the long-term solution.
Knight got a trial-by-fire introduction into the NBA, jumping right into a starting role on one of the league’s worst teams. After just two seasons, the Pistons soured on Knight’s ability to run their offense. His assist-to-turnover ratios — 3.8-2.6 and 4.0-2.7 — spoke of Knight’s struggles as a floor leader.
During the 2013 off-season, he was shipped along with Khris Middleton to the Bucks for Brandon Jennings. Knight immediately became the Bucks’ lead point guard and lasted 1 1/2 seasons there before they, too, decided they needed an upgrade at that spot. Milwaukee acquired Michael Carter-Williams from the Sixers in a three-way, trade deadline deal and sent Knight to Phoenix.
With Eric Bledsoe already in place as the starting point guard, Knight was shifted to shooting guard. He averaged a career-high 19.6 points while starting in 50 of 52 games during an injury-riddled 2015/16 campaign.
The biggest problem for Knight is that the Suns made a wise draft choice prior to last season. They uncovered a gem with a 13th overall pick, selecting offensively-gifted two guard Devin Booker.
Knight has been relegated to a bench role this season and the adjustment hasn’t gone well. Advanced statistics rate Knight’s offensive performance as the worst of his career and his always suspect defense has also suffered.
He has lost playing time to rookie Tyler Ulis and veteran Leandro Barbosa because coach Earl Watson was unhappy with Knight’s defensive effort. He hasn’t played the last two games, apparently because of wrist tendinitis, though he has played sparingly over the past month anyway.
Undoubtedly, Knight needs another fresh start. He may not have lived up to his draft status but he can be a productive rotation player in the mold of a Jamal Crawford, providing instant offense off the bench.
Knight may be turnover prone but he’s a solid shooter — 41.4% overall, 35.9% percent from long range and 81.0% from the free throw line during his career. He posted positive Offensive Box Plus.Minus ratings over the last three seasons, ranging from 1.2 to 2.0, according to Basketball Reference.
Any potential suitor will have to value his offense over his defensive shortcomings. His career Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating is minus 1.9 and he’s never finished on the positive side in any season.
The length of his contract, if not the salary commitment, is the biggest impediment to trading Knight. The dollar figures aren’t as scary as they might have been a couple years ago, thanks to the ever-rising salary cap. But a contract with three years left and no team options has to give pause to any GM or team president that might see a role for Knight on his club.
An unnamed front office exec told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM’s John Gambadoro that there is virtually no trade market for Knight.
In order to rid himself on Knight’s contract, Suns GM Ryan McDonough will probably need to package a desirable young player or draft pick with him. Phoenix drafted two power forwards — Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender — and taking on Knight’s contract could be a stipulation for any team that desires one of those young bigs.
The Suns could alternatively try to boost Knight’s trade prospects by packaging a first-round pick. They’ll obviously have a juicy lottery pick this summer and don’t owe anyone a future first-rounder at the time being. They could also dangle the protected 2018 first-rounder that the Heat owe them.
With aging Tyson Chandler still in the starting lineup, the Suns could be in the market for a center. They might also seek an upgrade over their small forward duo of T.J. Warren and P.J. Tucker.
Right now, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious landing spot for Knight. The Cavaliers are the only contender known to be shopping for point guard help but their salary-cap issues make that an unlikely scenario.
The Grizzlies might want some backcourt help behind Mike Conley and Tony Allen, taking into account Conley’s recent injury history. Knight could also give a bench boost to the Wizards behind the John Wall–Bradley Beal duo.
Non-contenders like the Knicks, Kings and Heat could also emerge if a young big or high draft pick is part of the proposal. Sacramento reportedly has shown interest for months but the loss of Rudy Gay to an Achilles tendon tear could change their priorities.
If the Suns are unable to move Knight before the trade deadline, he’ll simply have to live with a backup role for at least the remainder of the season.
What do you think? Should the Suns trade or keep Knight? Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts and possible trade ideas.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 1/19/17
Here are today’s D-League assignments and recalls:
- The Blazers recalled guard Tim Quarterman from the Windy City Bulls, according to The Oregonian. Quarterman played three games with them under the flexible assignment rule, averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 30.8 minutes per game. Quarterman has played limited minutes in 12 appearances with the Blazers in his rookie season.
Kevin Durant Discusses Future With Warriors
Kevin Durant shocked the basketball world when he left Russell Westbrook and the Thunder to join the Warriors during the offeason. The 2013/14 MVP signed a two-year, $54.3MM pact, but his contract contains a player option for the second season. He may decide to decline that option, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to leave Golden State, as he tells Sam Amick of USA Today.
“I’m liking it here,” Durant said. “I’m liking everything that’s going on. I know what my contract says, but I didn’t plan on coming here for just a year. I’m in it right now, and I’m also just focusing on day by day.
“I know it’s cliché, and you hear that all the time, but I’m seriously just not thinking about it because I’m like – I’m just in it for the long haul.”
Earlier in the week, owner Joe Lacob said he expects Durant to sign with the team long-term. “I have no angst whatsoever [about re-signing Durant and Stephen Curry],” Lacob said. “I totally am positive [that] I think those guys are going to sign. They’re both free agents. They have a right to do whatever they want. They’ve earned it, and I respect that. If they don’t sign with us for some reason, then shame on me and us. I take responsibility for that. But I don’t see that happening.”
Durant can benefit financially if he declines his player option and hits the market this summer. He would be eligible to receive 35% of the salary cap as his starting salary in a new deal, meaning if he signs a four-year deal, he could make over $150MM.
Durant is enjoying a fantastic first season in the Bay Area. He’s scoring 26.2 points and grabbing a career-high 8.7 rebounds per game. He’s hitting a career-best 54.5% of his shots from the field and he’s only coughing up 2.3 turnovers per game, which is also the best mark of his career.
Westbrook Tops Snub List Among All-Star Starters
Triple-double machine Russell Westbrook, the league’s leading scorer, will not be among the Western Conference starters for next month’s All-Star Game in New Orleans. The league’s Twitter feed unveiled the starters for each conference, and the Thunder superstar lost out in the balloting to Stephen Curry and James Harden (Twitter links).
As ESPN.com’s Rachel Nichols points out, the fan voting counts for 50%, while the players’ votes weigh in at 25%, as does the media vote under the revised system. According to NBC’s Kurt Helin, Westbrook missed out because the fans had him third among Western Conference guards behind Curry and Harden.
Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant will comprise the starting frontcourt for the West.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler and LeBron James were selected as the frontcourt starters for the Eastern Conference. DeMar DeRozan and Kyrie Irving were chosen as the starting backcourt.
It’s a breakthrough for Antetokounmpo, who will be making his first All-Star appearance. Arguably the biggest snub on the Eastern Conference side was Celtics point man Isaiah Thomas, the fourth-leading scorer in the league and the conference’s top scorer.
Do you think Westbrook should have garnered a starting spot ahead of Curry or Harden? Besides Westbrook, which other player has the biggest beef about failing to land a starting spot in the league’s annual showcase event? Take to the comments section to share your thoughts.
New CBA Officially Signed By Both Sides
The NBA and the Players Association have signed the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to an official league press release. The seven-year agreement will take effect on July 1, 2017, and run through the 2023/24 season.
Both the NBA and NBPA have the ability to opt out of the CBA after the 2022/23 season by providing notice to the other party by December 15th, 2022.
According to the release, here are some key points:
- The players’ share of Basketball Related Income (BRI) will remain in the 49%-51% range.
- Existing rules on maximum free agent contract length will be retained.
- The Mid-Level Exceptions and Bi-Annual Exception for 2017/18 will be increased 45% from the amounts in the 2011 CBA.
- The Rookie Scale will also be increased 45%, with the increase phased in over three years.
- The 2017/18 Minimum Annual Salary Scale will increase minimum salaries for that season by 45%. The revised amounts will increase or decrease annually beginning in 2018/19 at the same rate as the salary cap.
- The 2017/18 limit on cash paid or received in trades will be increased from $3.6MM to $5.1MM,
- Most veteran extensions will be permitted to cover five total years.
- The moratorium period when free agents cannot be signed has been shortened and will now end each season on July 6. The salary cap and tax level will be set each season by June 30.
- The period for a team with a right of first refusal to match an offer sheet will be shortened from three days to two days.
- A player will be able to sign an offer sheet during the moratorium period.
- The July 23 deadline for a team to unilaterally withdraw a qualifying offer will be changed to July 13.
- The 150% Traded Player Exception for non-taxpaying teams will be increased to 175%.
- The Over-36 Rule will be modified to be an Over-38 Rule.
- Teams will be required to carry 14 players on their rosters, subject to the ability to carry fewer players for limited periods of time.
- Each NBA team will be permitted to have on its roster up to two players under “Two-Way Contracts.” A “Two-Way Player” will provide services primarily to the NBA team’s D-League affiliate.
- The period for training camp and the preseason will be shortened by seven days, and the maximum number of exhibition games per team prior to any regular season will be reduced to six from eight.
MRI Confirms Rudy Gay Tore Achilles Tendon
JANUARY 19th, 4:24 PM: Gay’s MRI confirmed full tear of his left Achilles, Kings radio reporter Sean Cunningham tweets. He’ll have surgery in the coming days, Cunningham adds.
JANUARY 18th, 11:50 PM: Kings star Rudy Gay suffered a torn left Achilles tendon in Wednesday’s game against the Pacers, tweets James Ham of CSNBayArea.com.
That was the preliminary diagnosis from the Kings’ medical staff. An MRI will be conducted Thursday to confirm the injury.
Gay had to be carried off the court after being hurt on a non-contact play late in the third quarter.
If the diagnosis is correct, it would mean the end of Gay’s season and possibly his time in Sacramento. He had proclaimed before training camp that he planned to opt out of his $14,263,566 deal for next year and test the free agent market. However, that could change now depending on the severity of the injury.
It would also remove a big name from the trade market barely a month before the Feb. 23rd deadline. The Kings were widely expected to find a taker for Gay rather than lose him for nothing once the season ended.
Sacramento will not be able to file for a Disabled Player Exception to replace Gay, tweets Bobby Marks of the Vertical, who notes that the deadline passed on Sunday.
This is Gay’s fourth year with the Kings after being acquired in a trade with Toronto midway through the 2013/14 season. He is averaging 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds in 29 games.
Maverick Notes: Dirk, Carlisle, Whiteside
Dirk Nowitzki hopes to be able to play one more season with the Mavericks before he retires, Eddie Sefko passes along via Twitter. “Hopefully stay injury free rest of this year, come back and finish 20 years and that’s probably it,” Nowitzki said. The big man signed a two-year, $50MM with Dallas before the season.
Here’s more from Dallas:
- The Mavericks would like Rick Carlisle to continue to be their coach for the rest of his coaching career, but Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News wonders how long the coach can take a non-winning situation. Sherrington believes Carlisle will be with the franchise as long as he wants to be.
- Hassan Whiteside said he would have considered the Mavericks as a free agent destination if the Heat weren’t such a strong option, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel relays. “[The Mavs] told me just how much they can help me on the offensive end and give me and the ball more and how much they could utilize what I can do,” Whiteside said. “Maybe if I liked the Heat a little less, you know, I definitely would have considered the Mavericks a lot more.”
- Despite Andrew Bogut‘s latest ailment, the center still has decent trade value, Sefko argues in his latest mailbag. The scribe adds that the Mavericks are likely to wait to deal him until closer to the trade deadline unless an opposing team makes an offer they can’t refuse.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Noah, Sullinger
The Knicks are not headed in any particular direction, which is arguably the worst position for franchise to be in, and New York president Phil Jackson is a significant reason for that, Chris Herring of ESPN.com argues in a panel of fellow ESPN scribes (Insider subscription required). Carmelo Anthony is also partly to blame because his large contract, which includes a no-trade clause is hamstringing the team, is holding the franchise hostage, Bradford Doolittle opines. The panel suggested, however, that Anthony still has something left and in the right situation he could be a positive part of the Knicks. There are differing opinions on whether or not the Knicks should be in win-now mode or start tanking, with the latter being difficult to do, considering it would mean shedding players with contracts teams would have to take on creatively.
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Joakim Noah hasn’t lived up to his $72MM contract and it’s possible that the Knicks will take him out of the starting line-up once Kristaps Porzingis is healthy enough to return to action, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. Noah is averaging 5.6 points per game this season.
- Jared Sullinger made his season debut for the Raptors on Wednesday and although the team lost, he felt like he exceed his own expectations, as Doug Smith of the Toronto Star relays. “I was able to keep up with the game,” Sullinger said. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to keep up, especially how hard and how fast the Sixers play, but I was able to keep up with the game.”
- Jae Crowder is more valuable to the Celtics than Anthony could ever be, Logan Mullen of WEEI.com contends. Mullen argues that Anthony doesn’t provide the intensity that Crowder brings on a nightly basis. The scribe admits that the Celtics need one more star player, but cautions that Anthony isn’t the right fit.
Chris Crouse contributed to this post
P.J. Tucker Drawing Trade Interest
The market for P.J. Tucker, who is on track for unrestricted free agency this summer, is growing and several teams hold interest in acquiring the veteran small forward, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports. The Clippers, Bulls, Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Hawks all have interest in trading for Tucker, who is known for is defensive prowess, Gambadoro reports.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Knicks had interest in Tucker as well, but Gambadoro did not add New York to his list. Gambadoro cautions that a trade may not get done for a few reasons. The main one seems to be that Phoenix is also interested in re-signing Tucker because it does not have another player like him with his defensive and rebounding abilities, Gambadoro writes. Unless the Suns are confident they can re-sign him, however, it makes to shop him around.
The Suns likely aren’t willing to part with Tucker unless they can get a first-round pick or good prospect in return, Gambadoro reports, and for a team like the Clippers, that may be a deal-breaker, considering Tucker is only a marginal upgrade over someone like Wesley Johnson. This is simply my speculation, but of the teams listed, a larger trade would likely have to take place for it to make sense because those clubs do not have much to offer in terms of draft picks or young talent.
Tucker has made only 17 starts for the Suns this season, but has appeared in 41 games. His minutes are down a bit at 27.4 per game. Never known as a particularly strong shooter, Tucker is averaging 6.3 points per game and is attempting 5.7 field goals per game. His 5.7 rebounds per game is lower than any of his averages in that category in his three previous seasons with the Suns.
Latest On Khris Middleton
There is now a growing thought that Khris Middleton could return to the floor in early- to mid-February, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports, league sources. What’s more, Stein writes that Middleton has a shot to return to the lineup during a three-game homestand next month before the All-Star break.
While Stein’s report offers a more optimistic timetable, the news echoes what Middleton told Steve Aschburner of NBA.com earlier this month, when the 25-year-old said he could be back ahead of schedule and potentially take the court this year at some point after the All-Star Break. There would be a minutes restriction on Middleton if he were to return, Stein reports, but there is a good chance the Bucks, who are 20-21, would eventually receive a jolt from the two-way standout swingman’s presence.
The Bucks initially expected Middleton, 25, to be out for six months when he tore his left hamstring in September. Milwaukee signed Middleton to a five-year, $70MM deal last offseason. In the first year of the deal, he averaged 18.2 points and 1.7 steals in 79 games. He was drafted by the Pistons with the 39th pick in the 2012 draft before coming to the Bucks in the Brandon Jennings deal.