Knicks Trade Rumors: Reviewing Latest Chatter on 2018 Deadline Day

The New York Knicks are in crisis mode after All-Star big man Kristaps Porzingis suffered a torn ACL on Tuesday following a dunk attempt against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The future of the franchise largely revolves around Porzingis' rehabilitation and his eventual return to the court, but the Knicks front office also needs to figure out who will be on this team in the future.

With the trade deadline of Thursday at 3 p.m. ET fast approaching, the Knicks are 23-32 and well out of the playoff picture.

Therefore, they should be making some deals. One such transaction already took place on Wednesday when the Knicks announced they had sent center Willy Hernangomez to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for forward Johnny O'Bryant and two second-round picks.

It's certainly possible that another deal or two goes down before the deadline. Here's a look at two recent rumors and what they mean for New York.

Knicks Looking To Add Young Players and Draft Picks

Ian Begley of ESPN provided insight into the Knicks' trade-deadline thought process:

"The team also plans to aggressively pursue younger players and draft picks ahead of Thursday's trade deadline in the wake of Kristaps Porzingis' season-ending injury, league sources told ESPN. ... The Knicks' hopes of rallying for a postseason spot suffered a devastating blow Tuesday night when Porzingis, their lone All-Star, went down with a torn ACL in his left knee. So New York now shifts its focus to the 2018 NBA draft and the future."

The Knicks would be wise to grab as many 2018 draft picks as possible. On paper, the 2018 NBA draft class is loaded, featuring potential superstars such as Oklahoma freshman Trae Young, Arizona big man DeAndre Ayton and Real Madrid wing Luka Doncic.

The class is so deep that nbadraft.net is projecting Michigan State forward Miles Bridges, who is averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the fourth-ranked Division I men's basketball team in the country, to get picked outside of the lottery at No. 15.

Therefore, any pick the Knicks can land in this year's NBA draft could be a valuable one, especially if this draft class lives up to the hype.

Also, a particular draft class can have an exceptionally deep pool of players to choose from in any given year. We're just six years removed from the 2011 NBA draft that saw future All-Stars Kawhi Leonard (No. 15), Jimmy Butler (No. 30) and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60) all get picked outside the lottery. It would be hard for 2018 to stack up to 2011, but you never know.

With the Knicks needing to start a complete rebuild, they should be looking to grab as many picks as possible, which would be a 180-degree turn from previous years where they tossed them away for veterans.

Knicks Hearing Offers for Courtney Lee, Kyle O'Quinn and Joakim Noah

Begley also reported news on wing Courtney Lee, big man Kyle O'Quinn and center Joakim Noah in particular:

Lee is averaging career-bests in points per game (13.3), three-point shooting (41.6 percent) and free-throw shooting (93.0 percent). He's also proved to be a durable player over the course of his 10-year career, as the former Western Kentucky star has never missed more than 10 games in a season.

While Lee has proved to be a capable starter, the 32-year-old could provide excellent versatility and depth off a playoff contending team's bench.

O'Quinn is one of those players who can go on a scoring and rebounding spree in a short span of time. For example, he posted 15 points and 12 boards in just under 21 minutes against the Denver Nuggets this year.

He provides great energy off the bench and could fare well for a team looking for some frontcourt help for the second unit.

Although Noah has enjoyed an excellent career that includes two NCAA championships and two NBA All-Star Game appearances, recent injuries have taken a toll on the 32-year-old, which has led to decreased production since posting 12.6 points and 11.3 rebounds per game for the Chicago Bulls during the 2013-14 season.

In addition, he has a tough contract to move (Noah signed a four-year, $72 million deal that lasts through 2020), and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the former Florida Gator is on a leave of absence from the team after getting into a fight with head coach Jeff Hornacek on January 24.

Ultimately, Lee and O'Quinn could certainly be playing elsewhere by the weekend, but it would be hard for the Knicks to find a landing spot for Noah.