Knicks Trade Rumors: Reviewing Latest Chatter on 2020 Deadline Day

No team has been in as much turmoil—or in it as often—over the last half-decade than the New York Knicks. 

After winning 54 games in 2012-13, the team replaced general manager Glen Grunwald with Madison Square Garden president Steve Mills. Midseason, it was announced that 11-time NBA champion head coach Phil Jackson would become the team's president.

After winning just 37 games and missing the playoffs in 2014, Jackson fired head coach Mike Woodson and replaced him with one of his former players, Derek Fisher. The Knicks finished 17-65 the following season and drafted Latvian wunderkind Kristaps Porzingis to pair alongside Carmelo Anthony, providing hope that the organization might be on an upward trajectory.

Nearly five years have passed, and the Knicks have been through three executive changes, four head coaches and two head-scratching trades.

First, New York sent future Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott, neither of whom lasted more than two seasons on the roster. And most recently, the Knicks sent Porzingis, the face of the franchise, along with a handful of roster pieces including starter Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Dallas Mavericks for guard Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wes Matthews and two future first-round picks.

Jordan left after the end of last season and signed with the Brooklyn Nets, Smith Jr. has been relegated to a bench role as the third-string point guard and Matthews is no longer on the roster.

As the 2020 trade deadline approaches Thursday afternoon, the Knicks sit 13th in the East and are a near lock for a high lottery pick.

Tuesday morning, Mills, who has served as one of the team's longest-standing employees, was removed from his position as president of basketball operations and replaced on an interim basis by general manager Scott Perry—48 hours before the trade deadline.

With New York looking to play catch-up, we break down the most recent rumors surrounding the roster.

New York In Hot Pursuit of D-Lo

One of the Knicks' prime targets over the past few days has been Golden State guard D'Angelo Russell, according to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania.

However, New York has yet to put together a good enough package of assets to pique the Golden State Warriors' interest.

At the same time, the Minnesota Timberwolves have made a push for Russell, though talks have reportedly broken down, according to Charania: 

New York will likely need to include a host of first-round picks in any deal, and given their likelihood as a high lottery team this year, it would almost certainly need to include their 2020 first-rounder.

Kuzma Headed Cross-Country?

Charania also reported Tuesday that the Knicks had begun exploratory conversations about acquiring Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma.

At the same time, New York had also chosen to make Marcus Morris Sr., the team's leading scorer this season, available for trade inquiries. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, both the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers have significant interest in acquiring Morris—and keeping him away from the other. 

Both teams have some significant hurdles to get to a deal, though. Ian Begley of SNY noted New York wants Clippers guard Landry Shamet included in the trade, but that has been balked at up to this point:

Elsewhere in Tinseltown, the Lakers would need to send at least two players along with Kuzma's $2 million salary to make the finances work in a deal for Morris. Their most probable trade chips, guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and center JaVale McGee, both have no-trade clauses they can enforce. 

And per the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, the Lakers and Knicks have discussed a Kuzma-for-Morris deal, but New York has insisted it would like shooting guard Danny Green as well.

If a third team can be wrangled in, it's possible this deal could get done before the deadline, but otherwise, both the Knicks and Lakers will stand pat until free agency opens this summer. 

Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.