Trade Targets for Knicks to Pursue at 2023 Deadline
The New York Knicks are hard to figure out.
By extension, they're also on the short list of teams worth tracking between now and the Feb. 9 NBA trade deadline.
Confusing teams—like, say, one that would follow a four-game losing streak by knocking off the Cleveland Cavaliers—always create compelling storylines during trade season.
Do they push in a bunch of trade chips and try to change their fortune? Do they embrace the other side of that coin and do some selective selling? Do they think they don't know enough about their team to make more than marginal moves?
Everything feels like it's on the table for the Knicks, but the following three players seem like particularly intriguing targets.
O.G. Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
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The Toronto Raptors are in a tough spot. They have a handful of pretty-good-to-really-good players, but not enough of them to become a pretty-good-to-really-good team.
With this much talent around, though, they probably won't ever bottom out, meaning they would need a ton of lottery luck to get their hands on a blue-chip prospect.
It's possible Toronto pulls the plug on this nucleus at any time. It has several sought-after players on the roster, including O.G. Anunoby, who pairs a perpetually improving offensive game with perhaps the best wing defense in the business.
The Knicks could use a two-way weapon like that on the wing. Most teams could. At least one has already dangled an offer of three first-round picks in front of the Raptors, per Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star.
If New York isn't in the bidding war already, it should dive in head-first. If you believe in Anunoby's upside, you can picture him being the final puzzle piece who puts it all together for the Knicks.
Jae Crowder, Phoenix Suns
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Jae Crowder has been patiently awaiting his trade away from the Phoenix Suns all season.
The Knicks could grant his wish.
They not only have a need for a big-wing defender, but they also have the long-term assets to potentially incentivize a rebuilder to make this work as a three-team swap.
You can pretty easily sketch out the essential framework of a deal that has the Knicks getting Crowder, a future-focused club landing draft considerations from New York and the Suns getting whatever win-now talent that third team has to offer.
Crowder's defense, tenacity and experience could all make him a favorite of coach Tom Thibodeau, not to mention this fanbase.
If the 32-year-old can deliver one of his great shooting seasons—he's usually about average, but he has twice shot better than 38 percent on high volume—he could be a star role player in Gotham.
Gary Trent Jr., Toronto Raptors
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If the Raptors do any selling this trade season, Gary Trent Jr. is likely to land on the chopping block.
His contract has only an $18.6 million player option for next season, per Spotrac. He should decline that as soon as he's allowed.
His ceiling probably stops a level or two beneath stardom—he just turned 24, so it's too soon to completely cap his growth potential—but he's either a quality starter or an elite sixth man. He is an ignitable scorer who can heat up in a hurry. He's also no worse than above average as a defender and shooter.
The Knicks could use his two-way punch on the perimeter. Plus, they'd also have the next few months to decide whether he's worth keeping around for the long haul. If he is, New York would have expanded its nucleus. If he isn't, his (likely) impending free agency should at least help keep his trade cost under control.
