Knicks Trade Rumors: Top Buzz for New York Ahead of 2017 Deadline Day

The NBA is in the midst of a golden age. The games are high-flying and entertaining, the superstars are fantastic athletes and the competition is fierce.

However, New York Knicks fans would love nothing more than a return to the late 1990s, when basketball was an ugly game featuring bruising defenses and stagnant offenses.

Scores in the 70s for an entire game were common, but it didn't matter to Knicks fans, because their team went deep into the playoffs every season.

Nowadays, the Knicks are a soft defensive team that has won just one playoff series since 2000. The status quo isn't working, so numerous names have been involved in trade rumors.

Here's a look at the latest news surrounding the Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony

Story after story has popped up this week about small forward Carmelo Anthony, with the prevailing theme being that a move this week doesn't seem likely. Here's Ian Begley of ESPN with the latest:

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Then, of course, there are the Carmelo Anthony trade talks. The Knicks have had discussions about potential Anthony trades with at least three teams (Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers).

In an interview with The Undefeated’s Marc J. Spears after Sunday's All-Star Game, Anthony sounded like he wasn’t prepared to waive his no-trade clause. ... Anthony has said several times that no one from Knicks management has approached him with a potential deal. It is unclear if anything has changed on that front since Sunday night. Opposing executives around the league were under the impression Tuesday evening that neither the Clippers nor the Celtics had completely ruled out potential trades for Anthony.

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In other words, prepare for the potential of more passive-aggressive barbs from the Knicks front office throughout the rest of the regular season and into the offseason, perhaps in an attempt to annoy Anthony enough that he will waive his no-trade clause and buy the first plane ticket out of town.

It hasn't worked out for Anthony in New York, as the team has a losing record since he arrived, but it isn't fair for him to be treated like this either.

Derrick Rose

It seems much more likely that Rose will call a new place home before Thursday's trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET.

On Tuesday, David Aldridge of TNT reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves want to get a deal done with the Knicks for Rose, in part because Rose's former coach in Chicago, current Minnesota team president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau, is interested in a reunion.

Logically, current T-Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio would then be expendable, so he could find his way back to New York.

Thibodeau would get his point guard and attempt to reignite the magic the two had in Chicago, although it's questionable as to whether Rose would be a better fit in the Timberwolves offense than Rubio is currently. Namely, Rose is a worse defender than Rubio and would find himself on a Minnesota team that's 23rd in defensive efficiency, per ESPN.

New York would get the pass-first point guard it sorely needs, enabling the offense to revolve around Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis as opposed to the current situation of Anthony and Rose (with Porzingis as a third option).

Ultimately, Rose is the most likely player to be moved out of New York. Expect this deal to get done.

Kyle O'Quinn and Brandon Jennings

Begley also reported that teams have inquired about center Kyle O'Quinn and point guard Brandon Jennings.

O'Quinn is expendable thanks to the emergence of 22-year-old center Wily Hernangomez, who has 11 points and 9.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per game in February.

O'Quinn is an interesting player. He's capable of putting up wild stat lines (14 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks in 25 minutes) as he did against Orlando, and he's also capable of scoring two points and fouling out in 26 minutes of action (as he did in Atlanta).

O'Quinn is inconsistent, but he certainly flashes potential, so a team looking for frontcourt depth could definitely be willing to take a flier on him.

Meanwhile, Jennings is basically the point guard version of O'Quinn. Sometimes, he will be the star of the game, and sometimes, he will have a rough night. The problem with Jennings is that he is a bad shooter, making only 38.6 percent of his field-goal attempts this season. That's not just a slump—Jennings is a 39-percent shooter for his career.

Still, he's a seven-year veteran who can help a playoff team looking for a backup point guard, some energy, some experience or all three combined.

Patrick Beverley

The Knicks could use any possible help on defense, considering that they are a dismal 25th in defensive efficiency per ESPN, so adding the Houston Rockets point guard would make sense.

Calvin Watkins, the Houston Rockets beat reporter for ESPN, says that numerous teams (including New York) are interested in acquiring him:

Beverly is second in the NBA in defensive real plus-minus, per ESPN, so it makes sense that a few teams want to acquire him.

The problem is that it takes two to tango, and it makes no sense for Houston to let him leave, especially considering that Beverly's backcourt mate, James Harden, is one of the worst defenders in the league.

The Rockets need Beverly to play nasty man defense on opposing point guards, freeing up Harden to expend less energy on defense so he can run the offense every night.

Beverley would be a great fit on New York, but don't expect him to leave H-Town any time soon.