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Report: Omari Spellman, More Traded to Knicks from Timberwolves for Ed Davis
November 23, 2020
The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly trading Omari Spellman, Jacob Evans and a future second-round pick to the New York Knicks for veteran big man Ed Davis, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Davis, 31, averaged 1.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game for the Utah Jazz last season, making 28 appearances as he largely fell out of the rotation.
It's a tidy bit of business for the Knicks, who acquired Davis from Utah this offseason along with two 2023 second-round picks in what was essentially a salary dump for the contending Jazz. Davis is due $5 million this season.
So in essence, the Knicks scored three second-round picks and two young players in Spellman and Evans in exchange for having Davis briefly on their roster. It's an excellent example of how rebuilding teams can properly use cap space as a means to acquire future assets.
Spellman, 23, has averaged 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in his two-season NBA career, shooting 36.6 percent from three. He remains an intriguing stretch-4 prospect. Evans, also 23, has averaged 2.8 points per game in his two-year career, shooting 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. He's struggled to see the court, having appeared in 59 total games.
The Knicks can afford to give both players a chance to earn a spot in the rotation. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, picked up a veteran with some defensive chops to help fill a need for frontcourt depth. The trade made sense for Minny from a few other perspectives as well:
It isn't the sexiest of offseason moves, but it was a logical one on the fringes for both organizations.