If Zach LaVine gets traded, his representatives would prefer somewhere other than the Knicks, a source tells Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. LaVine’s camp doesn’t see New York as a good fit for the high-scoring guard, Bondy adds, because the team already has RJ Barrett, another ball-dominant wing who is five years younger and has a less expensive contract. Bondy also hears that the Knicks wouldn’t have much interest in sending Barrett to the Bulls in a potential LaVine deal.
LaVine’s contract will be daunting for any team, as he’s still owed about $178MM, including a 2026/27 player option that’s worth nearly $49MM. He’s represented by Klutch Sports, which is a longtime rival of CAA, the former agency of Knicks president Leon Rose.
With reportedly just one more year left on his contract, Rose will have to acquire a big-name talent at some point, Bondy suggests. The Knicks have young players and a wealth of draft picks to offer, including up to four first-rounders next year, although picks from Washington and Detroit appear unlikely to convey right away. Rose has plenty of ammunition to pursue disgruntled stars, but it doesn’t appear he will make a play for LaVine.
There’s more from New York:
- Coach Tom Thibodeau has a reputation for leaning on his starters, but he doesn’t seem to trust anyone on his current squad beyond his nine-man rotation, Bondy adds. In four games in which Barrett wasn’t available, Thibodeau cut that to eight players, with Miles McBride seeing the most playing time beyond that group with 13 total minutes.
- The Knicks are saying a “bruised hand” caused Quentin Grimes to leave Wednesday’s game, Bondy states in a separate story. Grimes went straight to the tunnel when he suffered the injury with about 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Bondy notes, and he wasn’t in the locker room after the game. Thibodeau wasn’t sure if X-rays had been taken when he talked to reporters.
- Chasing unhappy stars is a risky way to run an organization, former Knicks general manager Scott Perry tells Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I don’t have the arrogance necessarily to believe that a guy’s gonna come to our place and he’s gonna be happy just because,” Perry said. “I like when players and people in general try to figure out the situation they’re gonna be in. And when you look at these disgruntled stars, how many of them have left a situation where everything was catered around them and gone to the new situation, and it’s the exact same thing for them?”
Zach LaVine’s reps have a lot of asks for a guy who has put up numbers on bad teams throughout his career. He’s talented for sure, but in a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs, LaVine has been there exactly once in 9+ seasons with one playoff win. And he’s not going this year unless he’s traded. His teams have averaged 29 wins per season with only one year above .500 (two years ago at 46 wins).
He’s good, and can be a complementary piece on an already good team. But imo, he’s not good enough to justify that massive contract nor his attitude.
Ida used nerve but your a kind man with subbing asks – Nice post
Hopefully, the NYK advise LaVine’s representatives that their preferences will be accommodated.
Bondy needs to learn the difference between a 9 man rotation and playing 9-11 guys a game. A true 9 man rotation is actually pretty large, and usually results in a minutes squeeze with someone. That’s true with this NYK team, in particular on the perimeter, where 6 of the 9 guys reside. When 1 of the 6 is out, it only makes sense to use it as an opportunity to get the other 5 more minutes while they’re available. It has nothing to do with trust.
However, I do want to see McBride play more. Other than he and Sims there is currently nobody on the roster that’s not in the rotation that warrants time.
There’s a real solid discussion to be unlocked about ideal nba rotations today I’ve been pondering lately
On one hand having depth is great but on the other hand too many chefs in kitchen can become burdensome in some cases. Maybe Nyk is suffering from this currently ? You’d know better than I
Now the convo gets tricky when you compare that to a team like the Lakers – Their depth has come in handy due to injs but when everyone gets healthy there’s gonna be some real hard descions that are going to upset many and cause strife within ( you can already see wood hanging his head )
Idk what the template should be , Denver sure ran a good prototype tho last year .
Buttttttt I’m not sure if that was by design or more or less how the cap pushed things externally
You need a history lesson. Learn what depth means in the NBA.
Well I was asking Dxc but if you can’t have lemonade take the lemon ….enlighten me AL, I happen to see the matter rather complex currently so what better poster to give me an above the rim answer than you
@THRD –
Yes, it’s been a discussion among coaches since I can remember. Historically, at least, the focus was mostly on maximizing the product when healthy. That’s hard enough, just determining the best balance of having your best guys on the floor as much as possible, while keeping those guys both fresh and in rhythm. There are too many variables team to team for a one size fits all. But during the regular season, it would be between 8-10. Shorter during the playoffs, particularly if you set a bar of 12-15 mpg to be considered in the rotation.
I love what Malone did with DEN’s playoff rotation last year. I think his focus was maintaining the team’s emerging intensity on the defensive end. He did a good job over the years convincing his offensive juggernauts, Jokic and Murray, to focus on and value defense. That tends to work best when you surround them with naturally focused defenders. Stuck with MPJ, but he rarely finished games until a miracle happened.
Too early to tell with the Knicks and the new guard heavy 9-man rotation. I just thought Bondy’s analysis was flawed. Thibs is a big McBride fan; no way he lacks confidence in him. He used the absence of Barrett and Grimes to put the onus on Quickley to get his moxy back.
Nice analysis in paragraph 1
*off subject – Not a Cam guy ( at all ) but damn this dude can defend the perimeter /wing. . Is this new ? I’m shocked currently
Not much faith on the offensive side but if a light bulb goes on dare might I say this guy can be lethal guarding the most important position in basketball nightly ?
Idk how much you’ve seen this year but this dude is putting in major work on that side of the court – Fully expecting a pumpkin come 12 but mayyyyyybe not ??
Reddish has elite physical features for a defender. Quick hands, lateral quickness and great length. They did show in his time with the NYK, and the coaching staff gave him kudos for both his man defense and being disruptive in the lanes. The problems defensively were constant missed assignments and his indifferent attitude about them. The latter more, because it was a locker room problem. Offensively, he also had moments, but was too low perecentage. He and his agents wanted him in a larger role ahead of his RSC expiration, so he basically just started venturing outside the offense like he had it.
Obviously, LAL has a very different roster, and hopefully he’s at a different point now in his career, where being a role player isn’t so objectionable.
What is a disgruntled star ???….
makes no sense to me. If a so called star is not happy on his current team. For whatever reason. Why would it mean he will be disgruntled on his new team. Why would any team trade for a star. And expect a disgruntled player to join the team ……
Rose and Thibs have a plan. They waited out FA Jalen. Thibs turned Mitch into a defensive force. They groomed RJ and Randle. Drafted Quickley, Grimes and McBride, Sims. And added key FA in Hartenstein, Hart, Donte. That’s his rotation right there. All part of the plan. It’s year 4, OK … we are 11 gms into it. Why must everything get done at the critics pace. Thank god Dolan is not stepping in. This rebuild has gone as planned. Yes we are ready to add a major player. And I’m sure it’s coming. The world knows who I want. And it’s not Zach or a disgruntled player ……
This team, this collection of players. Have been together for NOT even two yrs. Chill TFO and enjoy the ride. Knicks are finally doing this the right and intelligent way.
Relax DeM DeR is coming ……. they got my message lols ……
You really need to stop with Demar he’s not the answer he’s a aging player who wants a extension who barley plays defense. He would also take mins from Rj if he wasn’t put in the trade Rj is 10 years younger already a better outside shooter. With jalen randle Rj that need to score in the paint what does Demar bring cause that’s where he scores knicks needs a backup 4 that can spread the floor not another soon to be old player that don’t fit. Lavine isn’t that guy either please stop also thibs doesn’t have a clue on the offensive end his offense ability is trust the past. You should be employed by Demar as much as you want him you can’t even explain we’re he would help stop it
So he has one more year on his contract and he’ll be judged on whether he gets a superstar? Seriously? How about his being judged on fixing 2 decades of pain and making the Knicks relevant again? Unless they entirely flop this year, which does not appear likely, I think Rose’s 1st contract in NY will look like quite the success.