Trade season is underway and the Knicks, fresh off one of the league’s hottest win streaks, could be potential buyers. With that in mind, here are five trade targets they could look at to upgrade the team in the coming weeks.
Jae Crowder
Crowder requested a trade prior to the season and thus hasn’t suited up once for his Phoenix Suns. Until now he had made a strong career as a key 3-and-D wing on multiple long playoff runs.
That kind of skillset and experience should be valuable to the Knicks, now in the thick of the East playoff race. After cutting their rotation down, they only have Quentin Grimes and RJ Barrett available to guard the bigger, elite wings in the league. Crowder won’t shut anybody down, but provides an added body that’s used to the Knicks’ bully-ball brand and helps cover one of their weaknesses.
New York can send Phoenix some salary filler and maybe a couple second-round picks in order to improve its depth, and maybe find a better option at the backup four than Obi Toppin.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Another veteran wing who’s used to competing long after the regular season, Bogdanovic is currently wasting away in the Detroit tank, and many NBA teams are likely to come knocking for his services.
Bogie would add an extra shooting dimension to the Knicks, along with another wing defender. They should be careful not to overpay for him, however, as there are a few intriguing backups to look at and the competition for him will be fierce.
Gary Harris
Despite its recent winning stretch, Orlando remains in the depths of the league’s standings, and could be aggressive sellers. They did a great job of rehabilitating Harris after injury and on-court play struggles, and he’s now hitting 44% of his 3s and defending well.
Harris doesn’t bring the big wing size the Knicks lack in their rotation, but otherwise fits nicely as a Tom Thibodeau-type player. He shouldn’t cost a whole lot and would bring some nice insurance to the bench.
OG Anunoby
We have to step things up here as the Knicks, star-hunting since the dawn of time, are sure to be aggressive if any All-Star equivalent names become available. With Toronto recently drafting a franchise centerpiece and far underperforming its season’s expectations, the team could be next to sell if things don’t turn around. One guy New York and 28 other teams will definitely call about is Anunoby.
While he’s yet to take that next step to stardom many expected for years, Anunoby is still a highly valued player, just 25 years old and one of the best 3-and-D-and-a-little-more wings in the league. He’s averaging a career-high 18.9 points this season, getting to the free-throw line more consistently while still defending effectively. His 6-foot-7, 232-pound build makes him a very athletic potential add to the Knicks.
Unfortunately, he’ll likely cost a star package for a non-star return. If that’s not the case, the Knicks would be foolish not to pursue him, given his fit with their timeline and schemes.
Zach LaVine — or whichever star wants out
As mentioned, insert disgruntled star name here is always a target for the Knicks. In recent days, Chicago’s foibles thrusted LaVine’s name into the rumor mill.
LaVine just signed a max extension with the Bulls, but after years of missing the playoffs, their all-in moves that built last year’s first round loser don’t appear to be paying off. If he doesn’t deem this team a true contender and doesn’t vibe with its direction, he could want out.
Despite this year’s struggles, the Knicks would 100 percent go after LaVine, who’s a top scorer in the league when healthy. He’s still just 27 years old and in 2021 had a near 50-40-90 shooting season on 27.4 points per game.
As they should, LaVine would be a major upgrade to the lineup. But it’s possible he won’t ask out, and as always, there’s another star coming down the line who isn’t thrilled with his current situation.
Trae Young murmurs are beginning to make the rounds after clashes with his head coach and an underwhelming start to the season for his team. These two may be the names right now, but in a week or two it could be others.
Whichever stars end up wanting out, the Knicks will be there, hat in hand, to greet them with open arms. There may be nice and quiet upgrades available, but New York is in it for the big fish