NBA Trade Rumors: Warriors' D'Angelo Russell Draws Interest from Knicks

The New York Knicks are reportedly among the teams that have expressed interest in Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

According to Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Warriors have also held talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves regarding Russell, but they are at an impasse since the Dubs want the T-Wolves to include their unprotected 2020 first-round pick, while Minnesota is reluctant to do so.

The Knicks have only their own first-round pick this year, and since their record of 14-36 is fourth-worst in the NBA, it is difficult to envision them parting with their selection either.

Per SNY's Ian Begley, guard Frank Ntilikina and forward Bobby Portis have been mentioned as players who could go from New York to Golden State as part of a deal for Russell.

Given Ntilikina's status as a bust to this point and the fact that Portis is averaging just 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, it may take more than that to pry Russell away from the Dubs.

There is some question about whether the Warriors are willing to trade Russell this year regardless of what is offered. Wes Goldberg of the Mercury News reported Monday that the Warriors want to see how Russell and Stephen Curry co-exist in the backcourt before they decide on Russell's future.

D'Angelo Russell Reel vs. ORL

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Curry has missed all but four games this season with a broken hand, and he is not expected to return until March at the earliest.

Since Russell is signed through the 2022-23 season, the Warriors have the luxury of slow-playing things and waiting until the offseason to entertain offers again if they decide they are better off moving Russell to address other areas of need.

The Knicks are in desperate need of a superstar who can be the face of the franchise, and Russell could fill that void. The 23-year-old thrived in the Big Apple last season when he was named an All-Star for the first time and helped lead the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs.

He set career highs with 21.1 points, 7.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game and has built upon those stats so far this season. Although he has missed 18 games because of injury and the Warriors are an NBA-worst 11-39, D-Lo has averaged 23.8 points, 6.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 three-pointers per contest.

New York could use that type of production, as it ranks 28th in the NBA in scoring, 29th in assists and last in three-pointers made per game.

None of the Knicks' recent first-round picks (Ntilikina, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett) have blossomed into stars as quickly as hoped, and there is no guarantee that they will hit on their 2020 first-round pick.

Adding Russell as the go-to guy alongside a complement like power forward Julius Randle would at least make the Knicks a far more dangerous team, and contending for the playoffs wouldn't be out of the question given how weak the Eastern Conference is outside of the top six teams.