NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings
The New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings are likely feeling very different about their respective starts to the season, but both teams have trade rumors circulating already.
New York is 2-3 and understandably struggling to master the triangle offense right away while the Kings are 4-1 and clicking on all cylinders. It's clearly far too early to jump to any conclusions, but Sacramento looks like a solid team this year.
However, it could move an important big man in the rotation if the latest rumors are true. New York, on the other hand, won't be moving anyone soon.
With that in mind, here is a look at some recent buzz from around the league.
New York Knicks
Give Knicks President Phil Jackson some credit—he seems to be preaching patience as his rebuilding project in the Big Apple just gets under way.
At least, that looks like the case given the latest rumor, via Marc Berman of the New York Post.
"According to a source, Jackson has no plans to make any deals until Dec. 15—a key NBA date as 2014 free-agent signees and 2014 draft picks are eligible to be traded," Berman wrote.
Delaying any potential trades until mid-December makes plenty of sense from the Knicks' perspective. New York's players are going to need adequate time to figure out how to play in the triangle offense, and Jackson needs a larger sample size of games to evaluate their performances and what exactly he has in terms of trade chips.
Jackson even noted that it will take Carmelo Anthony some time to get fully accustomed to the changes, via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
"There's a period of time in which it takes a scorer with mainly a scoring mentality to play with the idea that you can't score every time you touch the ball. A lot of the scorers, it's a natural instinct. 'I get the ball, I look to score.'
Looking to score is one thing; holding the ball is another. That is one of the things that players learn — that tempo and rhythm — and I don't think it is going to be that difficult of a situation.
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Bottom line, the Knicks have to be patient as they gradually jell under Derek Fisher in a new system. By waiting for more than a month of games to pass by, Jackson will better know which of his youngsters look like they will eventually fit in New York and which veterans are potentially expendable.
It's all about the future for the Knicks, and waiting until mid-December to make any informed moves is the best way to maximize that future.
Sacramento Kings
Zach Lowe of Grantland passed along an update on the Sacramento Kings:
"They'll also be active on the trade market, and I'd love to see them either move Jason Thompson or use him as a backup center. In Gay, Derrick Williams, and even Omri Casspi, the Kings have the tools to play small-ball lineups, but that will be a tiny feature of their rotation as long as Malone starts the Cousins-Thompson duo. The rising cap has renewed interest in Thompson as a bench big, according to several sources across the league.
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Carl Landry is playing significant minutes at power forward, Derrick Williams has seen some court time, and DeMarcus Cousins is one of the bright young stars in the league. Simply put, the Kings could afford to move Jason Thompson if they so desired.
There is a certain value for durable big men in the NBA, which could drive up Sacramento's eventual asking price in any Thompson swap.
He played in all 82 games in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and in at least 75 contests in every single season of his career except 2011-12, which was shortened to 66 games.
Thompson is a legitimate double-double threat if put in the right situation. He has averaged 9.9 points and seven rebounds a game throughout his career but is overshadowed by Cousins in Sacramento right now. A contender could anchor its second unit with Thompson down low.
Any potential trade could also help the Kings stockpile young assets as they rebuild toward the future.
Yes, they are off to a quick start in 2014-15, but it is difficult to imagine them as a legitimate contender in the loaded Western Conference. Perhaps they could reach that status one day with some impressive moves.
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