The New York Knicks haven’t had a whole lot to celebrate about in the last 20-odd years with their team being a trainwreck for most of that time. The 2020-21 NBA season gave hope of a bright future after a surprise playoff run but they came crashing back down to earth last season.
In an effort to have a bounce-back season, the Knicks signed Jalen Brunson in free agency and while he has played pretty well, averaging 20.1 PPG on 46.4% shooting from the field, team success has proven to be elusive once again. The Knicks found themselves with a 10-13 record after a loss to the Dallas Mavericks earlier this month but to their credit, have won four in a row since to improve to 14-13.
Still, it is really hard to envision the team making any kind of noise at the business end of the season as they just don’t have the star power. They are currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference as some of the big teams like the Miami Heat have had slow starts. Once they start figuring things out, you’d expect the Knicks to fall out of contention, and here are some players who might find themselves wearing different uniforms as the season goes on.
3. Evan Fournier
Evan Fournier was a starter for the Knicks last season after they acquired him from the Boston Celtics and he averaged 14.1 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.0 SPG while shooting a pretty good 38.9% from beyond the arc. While he wasn’t great, he was a serviceable starter but that hasn’t been the case this season. Fournier struggled to start off and head coach Tom Thibodeau had him come off the bench after 7 games. As he continued to struggle, however, Thibodeau made the call to have the Frenchman out of the rotation entirely and he isn’t too happy about it.
A trade almost seems inevitable and there is interest around the league for him. The Los Angeles Lakers have had discussions with the Knicks regarding Fournier and his outside shooting would be of great value to them. Two names that have come up in trade talks regarding the Lakers are Patrick Beverley and Kendrick Nunn who have both had poor starts to the season and a trade involving these three would work. Fournier is earning $18 million this season while Beverley is at $13 million and Nunn is at $5.25 million. Some draft capital might also be involved but a move along these lines would help both sides, as Bev especially should help the Knicks on defense.
2. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is another one who has found himself out of the rotation for the Knicks. In 26 games last season, Rose had averaged 12.0 points to go with 4.0 assists and was shooting 40.2% from three. His playing time and numbers have reduced drastically this season, as he is putting up just 6.4 PPG, 2.0 APG while shooting 34.7% from beyond the arc.
Rose is set to earn $14.5 million this season which is a hefty price tag considering his injury issues, but the Mavericks are interested in his services. There are only a handful of players on their roster where the salaries would work and one of them would be Davis Bertans who is making $16 million this season. Bertans has his flaws, but he’d instantly become the best shooter on a roster that has just one player shooting over 35% from three, among those who play more than 5 MPG. They would have to hide his issues on the defensive end, but Thibodeau is capable of doing just that.
1. Julius Randle
Julius Randle was one of the biggest reasons why the Knicks made the playoffs in 2021 and was deservedly named an All-Star that season. He wasn’t able to build on it the following season, however, as he and the Knicks struggled. Randle has managed to bounce back in 2022-23, as he is averaging 22.3 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 3.4 APG.
It has gotten to the point now where Randle, who is earning $23.7 million this season, has seen his trade value increase around the league and the Knicks might want to cash in. An executive had suggested trading Randle to the Miami Heat in a move that would net the Knicks Duncan Robinson, Omer Yurtseven, and Nikola Jovic. The salaries would work here, with Robinson earning $16.9 million while Jovic is at $2.2 million and Yurtseven is at $1.7 million. Jovic and Yurtseven are two solid young prospects for the Knicks and if they do decide to rebuild, this might well be the move for them, although they might want some draft capital as well.
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Player salaries via Spotrac.
