Knicks center Willy Hernangomez is seeking a trade out of New York, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who reports that Hernangomez’s representatives have informed Knicks officials of the trade request in recent days.
After a solid rookie season, Hernangomez has seen his role reduced in 2017/18, and has repeatedly expressed a desire to play more. While there was a belief that the 23-year-old would be satisfied with the Knicks moving one or two of their other centers to clear minutes up front, it now appears that Hernangomez would prefer a trade to a team prepared to give him more of an opportunity right away.
A second-round pick in 2015, Hernangomez signed his first NBA contract in the summer of 2016 and played 72 games (22 starts) during the 2016/17 campaign. He averaged a respectable 8.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG for the Knicks in just 18.4 minutes per contest in his rookie year. This season, however, Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn have been the Knicks’ primary centers, limiting Hernangomez to just 9.2 MPG in 25 contests.
While it remains to be seen where Hernangomez might land if the Knicks decide to grant his reported trade request, Charania hears that several teams have engaged in discussions about the former Real Madrid big man. A report last week suggested that the Spurs and Mavericks were among the teams to express interest in Hernangomez, while a January report linked the Jazz to the young center.
Not seeing it. Age (23) and sweetheart contract (which locks him in the next 2 years at barely over minimum), in a league where most teams have cap/tax problems, make him too valuable to trade for less than a meaningful 1st round draft pick or a similarly locked up young player at another position who projects to start next year. It will be close to 40 mm at center spot next year with just Kanter and Noah. KO won’t be back unless they increase that. Noah is just a contract to be managed.
Lakers/Knick
Deng and Ennis for Noah and Hernangomez
Get Noah out of New York and the Lakers get Hernangomez for doing that.
And then they’re stuck with Deng. Both of them have two more years at a salary of $18m (with Noah making roughly half a million more over the remaining life of the contract). Hernangomez isn’t worth saving $500k and Ennis.
Its more about getting rid of the headache Noah has given the Knicks. They can also use and play Deng.
Getting rid of a headache (Noah), which is barely a concern now considering he isn’t with the team, is not worth moving a young, productive big like Hernangomez. There is absolutely no value there for the Knicks. The miniscule cap savings, and temporary headache relief (which is shortly replaced by Deng then asking for more playing time) is not worth Hernangomez. I mean should the Knicks just throw in KP while they’re at it? Heck, why don’t they package KP and all their first round picks to the Lakers while they’re in the process of making terrible deals.
i felt compelled to enough to go through the trouble of recovering my password just so i could post that JT19 deserves the biggest overreaction award. geez man lighten up. you must be new to these sports rumors websites if you chose that post to take a stand on. your right its not a good trade for the knicks but it wasnt bad enough that it deserved 3 responses with a waaayy over the top smart azz trade response. knicks are currently starting jarret jack at the point so its same to say ennis would probably play more minutes on the knicks that willy and then the other part is a bad contract swap which like you said are 2 similar deals where maybe a change of scenery helps both. plus deng plays the 3 which the knicks need more than a 4 or 5. again it was a reasonable enough post that could have warranted no response instead of the crap you replied with.
Not taking Deng (a worse contract situation than Noah) even up, let alone paying the Lakers to do it.
Knicks would never do that deal.
Willy doesn’t have much of a say. Trade Kyle and Willy will be happy again with his playing time
Finally. Free Willy!!!!
Mills can do the smart thing, and Trade KOQ for something, rather than have him opt out of a 2018 $4m player option next year, instead of losing him for nothing — but Steve Mills, probably won’t.
Trading KOQ would also free up minutes for Willy, Knicks fans will say Willy Hernangomez deserves. (Have a PF/C logjam)