Knicks' Blueprint for 2023 NBA Trade Deadline
The New York Knicks have the chance to find roster reinforcements at the upcoming NBA trade deadline.
The way this roster has trended up of late, perhaps the right incoming piece or two could help guide this team to a deep playoff run.
Since Dec. 4, the Knicks are tied for fifth in winning percentage (.682) and sit second in net rating (plus-7.8 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com). That's just a random snapshot of this 82-game marathon, sure, but it's also better than a month of elite-level basketball.
Maybe that's a motivation for this front office to stand pat and see how much farther this group can go, but if the 'Bockers follow this deadline blueprint, this successful stretch could be a reason to aggressively attack the trade market.
1. Use Evan Fournier and Picks to Find a Two-Way Wing
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The Knicks need more shooting (more on that later), and they still haven't deemed Evan Fournier worthy of a rotation role.
That alone should signal the end of the 30-year-old's run in Gotham.
He is a three-point specialist with a career connection rate of 38 percent. He's also costing this club $18 million and is owed $18.9 million for next season, per Spotrac. If that's not motivation enough to play him, nothing ever will be.
The Knicks should use his sizable salary in conjunction with a first-round pick or two in order to nab another two-way wing. A defense-first big wing with a reliable three-ball could factor prominently into this rotation going forward.
2. Add Shooters
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The Knicks have tried to embrace the three-point line. Only nine teams have attempted more than New York's 35 long-range looks per game.
And yet, this perimeter attack just can't get going. The Knicks are only 16th in made threes (11.8) because they're only 25th in accuracy (33.8 percent).
The Knicks' best outside shooters, Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes, aren't super-high-volume shooters. Both have averaged fewer outside shots a night than Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, inside-the-arc scorers who are shooting just 34 and 32 percent, respectively, from distance.
New York needs a shooting specialist or two who plays with a neon-green light, never hesitates to fire and creates enough spacing for the Knicks' top scoring threats to do damage off the dribble.
3. Find the Best Offer for Cam Reddish
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Cam Reddish's short tenure in the Empire State looks like a case study for what happens when the coaching staff and front office aren't on the same page.
Last season, the front office felt Reddish, the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, had a high enough ceiling to send a first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to add him. However, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau didn't see enough from the present form of Reddish to grant him a rotational spot right away, and shortly after Reddish finally landed one, he suffered a season-ending shoulder surgery.
Reddish at least opened this season in the rotation and even made eight consecutive starts at one point, but he didn't do enough with the opportunity to stick. He last saw floor time on Dec. 3, and that lasted just nine scoreless minutes.
Clearly, the coaching staff doesn't think he can help, so the ball is now back in the court of the front office, which needs to sniff out a deal that brings something back for him. At least three teams have interest in Reddish, per Marc Stein, who added that the Knicks are only seeking a second-rounder and matching salary in return.
