Knicks Trade Rumors: Top Buzz for New York Ahead of 2018 Deadline Day
What could be a busy NBA trade deadline for the New York Knicks is starting to take shape.
One player is already out, and more could follow between now and Thursday's 3 p.m. ET cutoff.
Let's dig into the biggest buzz around the blue and orange.
Willy Gets His Wish
The week opened with reserve center Willy Hernangomez asking for a way out. By mid-Wednesday, he was packing his bags and leaving the Big Apple for Buzz City.
Hernangomez is headed to the Charlotte Hornets, as first reported by Yahoo Sports' Shams Charania and since announced by the club. In return, the Knicks are adding fourth-year forward/center Johnny O'Bryant and two future second-round picks (2020 and 2021).
This puts a bow on what will be remembered as a puzzling stint in New York for Hernangomez. The 23-year-old seemed like a franchise fixture after earning All-Rookie honors while averaging 8.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists last season. Knicks president Steve Mills even mentioned Hernangomez twice in an August blog post on MSG.com that laid out the front office's vision for the team.
But after ending last season as a starter, Hernangomez opened this one third on the depth chart and trapped behind Enes Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn. Hernangomez wasn't even an every-night player, and when he did see the floor, he averaged half as many minutes as before. He was frustrated and ready for change.
"All I can say is I want to be somewhere where I can play, where I can have minutes and keep developing," Hernangomez said, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
In an ironic twist, Hernangomez appears headed from one congested frontcourt to another. The Hornets already have Dwight Howard, Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky in their power rotation.
New York's incoming package is highlighted by the draft considerations, which effectively replace picks the Knicks had previously traded away. They could provide decent value too, if the Hornets opt to rebuild in the near future.
O'Bryant is more of an afterthought. The Knicks will be his fourth team in four seasons, and his career averages are forgettable—3.5 points on 40.2 percent shooting, 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 11.5 minutes.
Embracing Youth Movement
The loss of All-Star leader Kristaps Porzingis to a torn ACL eviscerated any lingering playoff hopes the Knicks may have entertained. They not only seem fully open for business ahead of the deadline now, they're shopping with a forward-thinking purpose.
The Knicks "plan to aggressively pursue younger players and picks at the trade deadline," sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley. They're fielding calls about O'Quinn and Courtney Lee, while hoping against hope there's some way to unload the exiled Joakim Noah.
Lee is New York's best player available and in the middle of a banner year. The 32-year-old is averaging a career-high 13.3 points and shooting a personal-best 41.6 percent from three. He defends well enough to fit the three-and-D mold, and every club could seemingly use more of those.
But Lee isn't cheap. He's one of the Knicks' better trade chips, and they'll set his price tag accordingly. In addition, he'll have two years and $25 million left on his deal after this season.
"If you trade for him, you know you're going to be getting the best stuff now and overpaying on the back end," a team executive told Bleacher Report's Yaron Weitzman.
O'Quinn should have a strong market given his reasonable contract ($4 million this season, $4.2 million player option in 2018-19) and well-balanced stats (6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks in only 16.6 minutes). Noah, on the other hand, looks immovable with $37.8 million owed to him for the next two seasons.
Anything that favors the future, though, is worth exploring.
All statistics used courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com. Salary information obtained via Basketball Insiders.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
