Knicks Trade Rumors (Photo : REUTERS)
The report that indicates their wiliness to trade their no.4 overall pick for an established player only showed the New York Knicks want a quick turnaround as soon as next season.
While only few teams were able to turn their fortunes around a year after a miserable campaign (like the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics and perhaps this year's Cleveland Cavaliers), Bleacher Report writer Dan Favale thinks the Knicks are capable of going to hero from zero, using their no.4 overall pick as a trade bait.
According to Favale, the Knicks could explore various trade options with their lottery pick. He mentioned the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and the Sacramento Kings as potential trade partners, with the possibility of adding a conduit team to make the financial aspect of the trade works.
The following are Favale's Trade Proposals for the Knicks No.4 Pick:
A.) Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein (No. 6 Pick) to Knicks; Emmanuel Mudiay (No. 4 Pick) to Kings.
B.) John Henson, Khris Middleton (sign-and-trade) and Tyus Jones (No. 17 pick) to Knicks, Justise Winslow to Bucks.
C.) Wilson Chandler and Ty Lawson to Knicks, Jose Calderon and Emmanuel Mudiay to Nuggets.
D.) Joel Embiid to Knicks, Justice Winslow to Sixers
E.) DeMarcus Cousins to Knicks, Darren Collison, Tim Hardaway Jr., Carl Landry, PG Emmanuel Mudiay/D'Angelo Russell to Nuggets, Kenneth Faried and Ty Lawson to Kings.
From the five trade proposals given by Favale, the Cousins to Knicks trade is surely the most attractive trade option out there, but it's also the hardest one to make, since the Kings consider the big man their franchise player after locking him to a four-year, $62 million extension two seasons ago.
Perhaps, the most realistic trade options above would be a trade for Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler for the reason that the Nuggets are on a rebuilding mode and they made it clear about their willingness to entertain trade talks involving all players on their roster, except Jusuf Nurkic and Danillo Gallinari (per Denver Post).
These two would make big impacts right away, as Lawson, who averaged at least 15 points and 8 dimes last season, is an explosive point guard capable of darting in and out of defense, while Chandler is versatile big man who can play either small forward and power forward position and is a career 34 percent 3-pt shooter. Both of them perfect for Phil Jackson's triangle offense.
