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Knicks Rumors: Trades, Portis, Fizdale, Davis

January 8th 2020 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

Several teams who have been in touch recently with the Knicks have come away with the impression that the team isn’t simply looking to trade for rebuilding assets such as draft picks, expiring contracts, and young prospects, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Those teams say New York has shown interest in acquiring “starter-level players” who can help the team in the short term as well as in the future, sources tell Begley.

While seeking only short-term upgrades would be a mistake for the 10-27 Knicks, it makes sense for the club to consider a variety of trade options rather than focusing exclusively on dumping its veterans for draft picks. Still, it’s hard to envision many scenarios in which the organization could use its most expendable trade chips to acquire a starter-level player who could be retained for multiple seasons.

Perhaps if the Knicks go that route they’ll target players who are a year or two away from restricted free agency and could be more comfortably re-signed than a player like Marcus Morris, who will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Players like Kyle Kuzma and Malik Beasley might fit that bill, though finding a Knicks package that would work financially and would appeal to a contender like the Lakers or Nuggets could be tricky.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Bobby Portis is drawing trade interest from multiple teams, Begley writes in a separate story for SNY.tv. Begley suggests that Portis’ pseudo-expiring contract could appeal to teams seeking a frontcourt piece, though I suspect the big man’s modest production (9.9 PPG on 44.0% shooting) and $15MM cap hit will limit his value.
  • Former Knicks head coach David Fizdale said during a Wednesday appearance on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo that he has “no ill feelings” toward the franchise following his dismissal, as Malika Andrews of ESPN.com relays. “That’s the business we’ve chosen,” Fizdale said. “I respect those guys greatly. I miss the hell out of them. … I obviously learned a ton from it and I was just really grateful to have that opportunity to say I was the head coach of the Knicks.”
  • During his radio appearance, Fizdale stated that the “media market” and “scrutiny” in New York put a lot of pressure on people within the Knicks’ organization and make it a “tough environment.” However, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News takes exception to Fizdale using outside pressure as an excuse for the Knicks’ failures, arguing that media and fans largely gave the club a pass for tanking away the 2018/19 season and weren’t responsible for the team’s questionable roster moves.
  • Anthony Davis had New York on his list of preferred destinations when he asked for a trade out of New Orleans, but he wasn’t interested in talking about the Knicks when the team visited the Lakers this week, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. “I’m kind of just over the whole situation,” Davis said. Asked what appealed to him about the Knicks, he replied, “That was all in the past. I don’t talk about no other team than the Lakers.”
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