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Knicks' Top Trade Targets in 2022 Offseason
May 5, 2022Knicks' Top Trade Targets in 2022 Offseason
Are the New York Knicks ready to dream big during the 2022 NBA offseason?
They should be.
They have a decades-long point-guard problem to fix, a star shortage that puts a low cap on their ceiling and a host of trade assets to put in play for a blockbuster.
Whether they reach for the stars or search for a more cost-conscious move, we have identified three potential trade targets.
Malcolm Brogdon, Indiana Pacers
When the Pacers swapped out Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton at the deadline, they shifted their timeline farther into the future.
That might up their urgency to move Malcolm Brogdon, whose name was mentioned in the Ben Simmons sweepstakes. Not to mention, Indiana traded its best player for a player at Brogdon's position.
The writing is seemingly on the wall here, and the Knicks would be wise to give it a read.
Brogdon could make a ton of sense for the 'Bockers. He can handle the ball, but he won't dominate it, meaning Julius Randle and RJ Barrett would still have their chances to create.
The 29-year-old's shooting (career 37.6 percent from deep) would make their lives easier on offense, and his versatility might help the defense get back on track after it slipped from fourth to 11th in efficiency, per NBA.com.
Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz
This summer, all of the NBA's star-gazing squads will set their sights on Salt Lake City. There is a sense big changes could soon be coming to the Jazz, who were bounced out of the opening round for the third time in four seasons.
New York may have gotten a head-start on the gawking process. As relayed by ESPN's Tim MacMahon, a Knicks contingent of Randle, executive vice president William Wesley and assistant general manager Allan Houston were all in attendance at Utah's playoff opener in Dallas. The implied meaning of their presence was anything but subtle: The push for Mitchell is on in full force.
The connections between the All-Star guard and Gotham are numerous. He was born in New York, and his father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., works in the New York Mets front office. Knicks assistant coach Johnnie Bryant previously worked closely with the 25-year-old when the pair were in Utah together.
Trading Mitchell is probably a last resort for the Jazz, and one they seem unlikely to even entertain without his urging. If he comes anywhere near the trade market, though, New York will be ready and willing—and, arguably, able given the collection of trade assets—to pounce.
Monte Morris, Denver Nuggets
The Knicks will almost certainly give the point guard position serious attention this summer.
The Kemba Walker experiment never got off the ground. They can't count on much from Derrick Rose, since he hasn't played 60 games in a season since 2016-17 and seems unlikely to turn his medical misfortune around with his 34th birthday coming before the next campaign. The stat sheet says—and the eye test agrees—Immanuel Quickley is more of a scorer than a table-setter.
New York could swing for the fences and make a run at Dallas' playoff breakout star, Jalen Brunson, in free agency. If the draft board breaks right, it could also invest a top-five selection in Purdue's Jaden Ivey.
However, if the Knicks go more conservative—either by choice or necessity—it might be worth ringing up the Denver Nuggets to check on the availability of Monte Morris. He was a standout stand-in for a hobbled Jamal Murray this season, pairing his career-high 12.6 points with a 48.4/39.5/86.9 shooting slash and averaging 4.4 assists with only 1.0 turnovers.
However, with Murray on the mend, Morris is probably headed back to the bench, unless a point guard-needy suitor puts the right offer in front of the Nuggets.
Getting the 26-year-old wouldn't go down as a marquee move—it also wouldn't carry a marquee-move price tag—but if it stabilized this perennially unstable spot, the Knicks may see it as such in hindsight.