The Knicks have been “active on trade calls” more than two months ahead of this season’s February 9 trade deadline, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who notes that the team has shown a tendency in recent years to complete its major moves well before the deadline arrives.
New York’s 2021 acquisition of Derrick Rose came approximately a month-and-a-half before the trade deadline, while last season’s Cam Reddish deal was finalized about four weeks ahead of the deadline.
Incidentally, Rose and Reddish are two of the players the Knicks are discussing most frequently with potential trade partners, along with Immanuel Quickley and Evan Fournier, league sources tell Katz.
Here’s where things stand with those four players, per Katz:
- There’s not a ton of demand for Rose, whose production and playing time have both dropped off this season. According to Katz, teams are wary of giving up much for the 34-year-old, especially given his injury history.
- The market for Reddish also isn’t particularly hot, with the Knicks considered very unlikely to recoup the sort of return they gave up for him last season (Kevin Knox‘s expiring contract and a protected first-round pick). Like Rose, Reddish has recently fallen out of Tom Thibodeau‘s rotation, which doesn’t help his trade value.
- The Knicks have discussed various types of deals involving Quickley. In scenarios where he’s the only outgoing player, the club has sought a first-round pick, Katz writes. The thinking is that New York has an overcrowded depth chart and wants to free up playing time, so the team is exploring player-for-pick or two-for-one scenarios, Katz adds.
- The Knicks’ front office has shown no interest in attaching draft assets to Fournier just to move him, since getting his contract off the books wouldn’t create much extra cap flexibility in 2023 (the club would still have $113MM+ in guaranteed money committed to eight other players). However, league sources tell Katz that New York has conveyed a willingness to attach Quickley or Reddish to Fournier when discussing potential trades.
While it would be great if they could trade away pretty much everyone on the roster aside from Brunson, Obi, and Hartenstein, I don’t think the Knicks will be as active on the trade market as they’d like to be. No one wants any of these bums, especially with the contracts they have. I think at the end of day, they’ll trade Rose for a 2nd round pick and maybe Reddish for another 2nd.
Randle, Fournier, Barrett, IQ, etc will all still be Knicks after the trade deadline.
I agree.
The Knicks still haven’t learned their lesson from this past summer. Oh well…live and learn. To get you have to give. Teams are not interested in what they want to give.
Rose back to the Bulls would revive him big time.
So would cocaine, but not sure a trade would be done to revive a career. Lakers are where he’s really needed IMHO.
Common denominator to all the players woes: Thibs. Start there. Then move out Fournier, Randle, and Rose. Play the kids. Hire a coach that can relate and handle the kids. Not opposed to the college ranks and someone with new ideas and can adapt to the players talents rather than force a system. Draft smart. The Mitchell’s and Haliburton’s of the world cannot be passed up. And lastly – it takes time. Don’t make bad signings because money is available. It’ll be regretted later; Fournier for example.
I don’t see the Knicks doing anything right now other than trying to sell off or swap spare parts. You don’t put a team together in the off season and then 25 games into the season, when its about where it figured to be, decide to break it up. Things could go due south from here and a pre-deadline purge could follow from that. But that won’t be about winning this year.
Trades, at least arms length trades for established players, are principally about upgrading player fit, not upgrading overall talent. Knicks’ real need is for the latter.
Lol. I was told they were gonna develop these young guys after not doing a Donovan Mitchell trade. Knicks look stupid after how well Spida has been going in Cleveland
Lionel- you hit the nail on the head .
2nd rounder top 59 protected for cam reddish?!?! ;)
Someone will come available by deadline. Best for our players to just play. Knicks didn’t move on Mitchell. So we will be in the market. We still got time.