New York Knicks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kanter: “Get Me Out Of Here” If I’m Not Playing

January 24th, 2019 at 8:19am CST by Luke Adams

Enes Kanter‘s frustration with his diminished role in the Knicks‘ rotation reached a boiling point on Wednesday night after he received his first DNP-CD of the season in the team’s loss to Houston. As Marc Berman of The New York Post relays, Kanter said that what the Knicks are doing to him is “pretty messed up.”

“They told me this morning that I’m starting,” Kanter said of the Knicks’ coaching staff. “Now I come to the game and I didn’t even play. I’m trying to be a good teammate, but I want to play basketball. If you’re going to play me here, play me. If not, just get me out of here.”

With his minutes fluctuating over the last month or so as the Knicks focus more on developing their young players, Kanter has already expressed annoyance about his role multiple times. However, he took it to a new level on Wednesday by calling on the club to “get me out of here” if it doesn’t plan to play him.

With Luke Kornet sidelined due to an ankle injury, Kanter appeared set to return to the starting lineup and play regular minutes going forward. However, New York instead opted to start Noah Vonleh at center, with Mitchell Robinson backing him up. The duo handled all the center minutes during Wednesday’s tough four-point loss to the Rockets, leaving Kanter to vent to reporters after the game.

“It’s so frustrating,” Kanter said, per Berman. “In the meeting, [head coach David Fizdale] said I was starting. Now it’s coming here and coming to the game ready to go and I sit on the bench. … I deserve way better. They didn’t explain me anything. I’m just going to let my agent handle it. I love the Knicks, don’t get me wrong. I love the crowd and MSG and have love for this city, but I want to play basketball. Either play me or just let me play someplace.”

Although Kanter is on an expiring contract, he’s earning $18.6MM+ this season, which will make him difficult to move, since the Knicks don’t want to take on any extra 2019/20 money. The Knicks and Bulls have reportedly discussed a deal involving Kanter and Jabari Parker, who has a $20MM expiring contract of his own, but they’ve been unable to find a third team willing to take Kanter.

The Mavericks were among the teams that turned down the chance to be the third team in such a deal, tweets Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Presumably, Wesley Matthews‘ expiring salary – which is identical to Kanter’s – would have been included in that proposal.

Charania’s Latest: Wizards, Hornets, Grizzlies, DSJ

January 23rd, 2019 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

As Shams Charania of The Athletic details in his latest round-up of trade rumors from around the NBA, there still aren’t many clear-cut sellers out there, which may limit activity leading up to the February 7 deadline. However, clubs like the Wizards and Magic still haven’t made any decisions one way or the other and could end up being sellers if they’re trending downward a couple weeks from now, says Charania.

The Wizards have made it “adamantly clear” the Bradley Beal isn’t going anywhere, league sources tell Charania. Otto Porter could be more available though, according to Charania, who hears that the Jazz are among the clubs to show interest in Porter.

The Hornets are another team competing for one of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots and – like the Wizards – have made it clear that they don’t intend to move their star guard. Nonetheless, teams have tested the Hornets on Kemba Walker, says Charania, citing sources who say that the Mavericks recently inquired on Walker and were told Charlotte wants to keep him.

Charania’s article includes many more rumors on the trade market, so let’s round up some of the highlights…

Despite indicating they’re willing to listen to inquiries on Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, Grizzlies officials told players on Tuesday that the team remains committed to winning and to tune out any trade noise, writes Charania. Elsewhere on the Memphis front, JaMychal Green is expected to attract significant trade interest and the Grizzlies have attempted to engage the Hawks about a Chandler Parsons deal, Charania reports.
Charania adds the Knicks and Lakers to the list of teams that discussed a possible Dennis Smith Jr. trade with the Mavericks. The Magic are also on that list.
In addition to discussing deals involving veterans like Kent Bazemore and Dewayne Dedmon, the Hawks may also consider moving younger players such as Taurean Prince and Tyler Dorsey, says Charania.
According to Charania, the Thunder plan to explore ways to use their traded player exception, which is worth nearly $11MM. Oklahoma City is reportedly seeking a forward who can shoot, though acquiring a player without sending out any salary would increase the club’s tax bill exponentially.
The Sixers are seeking a wing shooter and a center, sources tell Charania.
Cavaliers swingman Rodney Hood has emerged as a “targeted” trade asset, according to Charania, who identifies the Pelicans, Thunder, and Bucks as some of the teams that have scoured the market for wing help.

Luke Kornet Out With Ankle Sprain, Bone Bruise

January 22nd, 2019 at 12:49pm CST by Luke Adams

After undergoing an MRI on his injured left ankle on Tuesday, Knicks center Luke Kornet has been diagnosed with an ankle sprain and a bone bruise, the team announced today (via Twitter). Kornet, who is in a walking boot, will began his rehab process immediately, according to the Knicks.

Although New York’s announcement indicates that Kornet will be re-evaluated this weekend, the second-year big man is unlikely to make a quick return from an ankle sprain and bone bruise. Head coach David Fizdale confirmed today that Kornet will likely be sidelined for at least a couple weeks, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter link).

A week-to-week injury for a part-time center on a lottery-bound team isn’t earth-shattering news, but it figures to have an impact on a player whose name has frequently been mentioned in trade rumors as of late. Enes Kanter, who took over for Kornet when he first went down in Monday’s game, may return to the starting lineup in Kornet’s place, Fizdale said today.

The Knicks had originally planned to remove Kanter from their rotation as they took a longer look at Kornet and rookie center Mitchell Robinson, a scenario which prompted Kanter to hint that he might welcome a trade elsewhere. That trade chatter could die down a little if he’s back in the starting five, though I’d expect New York to continue exploring the market for potential deals involving the veteran.

The trade deadline is 16 days away, so if Kornet misses two weeks or more, the Knicks could continue to roll with Kanter as a starter right up until February 7.

Knicks Rumors: Hardaway, Lee, Kanter

January 22nd, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Rival teams have inquired about Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, who suggests that the Knicks would be open to moving either player and creating additional 2019 cap flexibility — even if losing Hardaway would make the lottery-bound team even less competitive on a nightly basis.

However, league sources tell Vorkunov that the Knicks “have been adamant” about not attaching any sweeteners to Hardaway or Lee in a deal. Both players are on pricey multiyear contracts and aren’t exactly positive assets right now, so any team willing to trade expiring salary for either Hardaway or Lee would likely be seeking a draft pick or a young player from New York. Apparently, as Vorkunov details, the Knicks are averse to that idea, as they were when they tried to shop Joakim Noah last year.

In contrast to past management groups, the Knicks’ current front office has exhibited a commendable commitment to hanging onto future draft picks. And while that stance may be in the club’s best long-term interests, it may reduce the likelihood of Hardaway or Lee being dealt by February 7. Perhaps, as Vorkunov writes, a contending team in need of a veteran scorer or shooter will relent by the deadline and make a deal with the Knicks without asking for an extra asset, but that’s certainly no lock.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Vorkunov’s piece goes more in-depth on which Knicks players are the most and least likely to be moved by next month’s deadline, and is worth checking out in full. He identifies Enes Kanter as the player most likely to be with a new team after February 7, though a number of other veterans are also trade candidates.
Speaking of Kanter, he expressed some disappointment and frustration on Monday after being informed by head coach David Fizdale that he’d likely be out of the rotation going forward, per Marc Berman of The New York Post. Of course, Kanter’s removal from the rotation lasted about a quarter and a half — he entered Monday’s game in the second quarter after Luke Kornet went down with an ankle sprain, and figures to continue seeing regular minutes if Kornet has to miss time.
Still, Kanter sounds like someone who might be ready to move on from the Knicks if his minutes are cut back again, as Berman relays: “I love it here, but in the end, I want to play basketball. I miss playing basketball, man. And I would let [Knicks GM] Scott [Perry] and my agent handle that stuff. We had the conversation [Sunday], and they were kind of like, shutting me down. So I’m like, I want to play basketball. I love it here. I love New York. I love the fans, but in the end, I want to play basketball.”
The Knicks’ commitment to a youth movement may not be good news for Kanter, but it should benefit Frank Ntilikina, writes George Willis of The New York Post.

New York Notes: Ntilikina, Knicks, Faried, Nets

January 21st, 2019 at 1:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Frank Ntilikina‘s name keeps popping up in trade rumors, Knicks head coach David Fizdale says the club views the second-year guard as a distributor and defender “that can help us win next year and into the future,” per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ntilikina’s role has been inconsistent in 2018/19, but Fizdale said he’ll likely have the youngster back up Emmanuel Mudiay at the point for at least the next few weeks.

For his part, Ntilikina has resolved to stop letting “expectations and outside noise” negatively affect his game, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays.

“I know me as a player and I know my ceiling is really high, higher than everyone thinks,” Ntilikina said.

Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:

In addition to addressing Ntilikina’s role today, Fizdale also reiterated that the priority up front for the Knicks is to develop centers Luke Kornet and Mitchell Robinson. That means Enes Kanter may not have a spot in the regular rotation, Begley tweets. “I’m going to try my best to share those (center) minutes, but I do have a priority to grow (Kornet and Robinson),” Fizdale said.
With Kenneth Faried poised to clear waivers today, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson expressed some regret that he couldn’t find more minutes for Faried during his time in Brooklyn (link via Greg Joyce of The New York Post). Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis were ahead of Faried on the depth chart at center, and Atkinson’s preference for playing small made it difficult to work in the big man at power forward. “He did everything we asked,” Atkinson said. “He was a great guy. He busted his tail. He was in shape. Just didn’t think he had great opportunity here.”
A NetsDaily column makes the case that Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean Marks have earned long-term contract extensions, arguing that Brooklyn should lock the duo up sooner rather than later.

And-Ones: All-Rookie Teams, Trade Candidates, Europe, J. Young

January 20th, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Dallas guard Luka Doncic is the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year honors midway through the season, writes Ben Nadeau of Basketball Insiders as he selects his all-rookie teams. Doncic has transformed the Mavericks and has a chance to be the first rookie selected for the All-Star Game since 2011. Joining him as Nadeau’s first-team selections are the Suns‘ Deandre Ayton, the Grizzlies‘ Jaren Jackson Jr., the Knicks‘ Kevin Knox and the Hawks‘ Trae Young.

The Cavaliers‘ Collin Sexton, the Hawks‘ Kevin Huerter, the Nets‘ Rodions Kurucs, the Kings‘ Marvin Bagley Jr. and the Suns‘ Mikal Bridges make up the second team, while the Bulls‘ Wendell Carter Jr., the Knicks‘ Allonzo Trier, the Sixers‘ Landry Shamet, the Clippers‘ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Timberwolves‘ Josh Okogie get honorable mention honors.

There’s more NBA-related news to pass along:

Jabari Parker and Robin Lopez of the Bulls are among the most likely players to be traded before the February 7 deadline, according to Shane Rhodes of Basketball Insiders. Parker couldn’t take advantage of an opportunity when Lauri Markkanen missed the start of the season with an elbow injury, but Rhodes suggests a change of scenery might help. Lopez has seen his playing time reduced this year, but the Bulls are determined to work out a trade rather than consider a buyout. Rhodes lists the Knicks‘ Enes Kanter, the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic and the Mavericks‘ Dennis Smith Jr. as other players with a good chance of being dealt.
After this week’s sellout for the Wizards and Knicks in London, the NBA is looking at other European venues, relays Martyn Herman of Reuters. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum indicated that Paris is likely the next destination and Berlin may follow. “There has been a lot of interest in teams wanting to go to Paris because France is a hotbed for basketball,” Tatum said. “We have nine French players in the NBA now. It’s just a matter of building the right business case and having the right partners in those areas. It is an important market for many of our marketing partners. It’s just a matter of time.” He added that Spain and Italy don’t have arenas yet that are capable of hosting a game.
Former Celtics first-round pick James Young was waived this week by the G League’s Wisconsin Herd, tweets Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days. It’s the latest setback for Young, who was waived by the Bucks shortly before the season began.

Knicks Notes: Vonleh, Smith Jr., Tanking, Prospects

January 20th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Arthur Hill

Noah Vonleh has achieved his goal of re-establishing himself with the Knicks, but their partnership may not last beyond the February 7 trade deadline, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. Vonleh was looking for playing time when he chose New York last summer instead of the Spurs, Bucks or Cavaliers. He joined the Knicks on a one-year, partially guaranteed contract and has turned in his best NBA season, averaging 8.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting better than 40% from 3-point range.

“A lot of talented players in the NBA don’t get to showcase certain things because that’s not how the team views them — they already got guys that can do that,” Vonleh said. “So the opportunity and the role is here, so I’m able to showcase some of the things. Coach (David Fizdale) said he has confidence in me, and that’s a big part. If your coach has confidence in you, ain’t no telling where you can go in this league. Sky’s the limit.”

However, Vonleh’s contract status brings some uncertainty to his situation. The Knicks don’t have his Bird Rights, so there’s no advantage to keeping him for the rest of the season. They will have the cap space to bid on him in free agency, although they are hoping to use that money on a top-level talent. A few teams have expressed interest in dealing for Vonleh, sources tell Vorkunov, although the Knicks haven’t said if they’re open to a trade.

There’s more out of New York:

It doesn’t appear the Knicks are interested in a second chance at Dennis Smith Jr., according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. New York bypassed Smith in the 2017 draft to take Frank Ntilikina and hasn’t pursued him despite rumors that he might be available in the midst of a troubled second season in Dallas. A source tells Berman that the Knicks asked about the Mavericks about Smith before the season, but “not recently.”
Despite reforming the rules for the draft lottery, the NBA is still faced with a four-team tanking race for the rest of the season, Berman notes in a separate story. The teams with the three worst records will have an equal shot at landing the top pick, and the Knicks are in that competition with the Cavaliers, Suns and Bulls. New York has dropped 17 of its past 19 games to move into third place in our latest Reverse Standings, but all four teams are separated by just two games.
In another piece, Berman examines the top five prospects the Knicks will be looking at if they land a high lottery pick. He places the Duke trio of Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and R.J. Barrett and as the top three, followed by Murray State guard Ja Morant and Virginia forward De’Andre Hunter.

Frank Ntilikina Drawing Trade Interest?

January 19th, 2019 at 12:02pm CST by marksuleymanov

With the trade deadline approaching, the Knicks are one team to watch, as they could deal any number of veterans or young players. 2017 first-round draft pick Frank Ntilikina has not developed the way New York had hoped and is one candidate to be traded, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.

To date, the 20-year-old Frenchman has started in just 23 games through his first two NBA seasons. The Knicks elected to go with veterans at the point guard position last season and Ntilikina has been relegated to bench duty for much of the season.

Per Bondy, the Magic and Suns have expressed interest in Ntilikina. The issue, however, is a split mindset within the front office as Ntilikina was drafted by current team president Steve Mills and has support from the front office. However, general manager Scott Perry took over after Ntilikina was drafted and has less of an attachment to the sophomore. In fact, he recently approached the Hawks about a possible trade but since Atlanta has Trae Young, talks did not go far, Bondy reports.

Ntilikina has averaged just 6.0 PPG and 3.0 APG in 115 career games. While his defense has been a strong suit, Ntilikina has struggled to develop a consistent shot, evidenced by his career 35.7% field goal percentage and 31.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Knicks are in a position to secure a top-five draft pick this summer and given Ntilikina’s lack of development, the team just may explore moving on from the Frenchman.

18 Trade Exceptions To Expire Within Next Month

January 18th, 2019 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As NBA teams consider their trade options before the February 7 deadline, it’s worth keeping in mind that two-thirds of the league’s clubs hold traded player exceptions. These traded player exceptions allow over-the-cap clubs to acquire a player – or multiple players – whose salary fits within the TPE without having to send out any salary in return.

Traded player exceptions can’t be combined with another salary or exception and often aren’t worth much, so most of them ultimately go unused. Still, they can come in handy every now and then, particularly for under-the-tax clubs that don’t mind adding a little more money to their books.

Last season, a total of 16 trades were completed between January 29 and February 8, resulting in 18 outstanding trade exceptions that will expire between January 29 and February 8 of this year.

Here are those traded player exceptions, listed in order of value, with the expiration date noted in parentheses for each TPE:

Detroit Pistons: $7,000,000 (1/29)
Utah Jazz: $3,708,883 (2/8)
Portland Trail Blazers: $3,505,233 (2/8)
Toronto Raptors: $2,451,225 (2/8)
Utah Jazz: $2,386,864 (2/8)
New Orleans Pelicans: $2,300,000 (2/8)
Milwaukee Bucks: $1,889,040 (2/5)
Memphis Grizzlies: $1,697,250 (2/8)
Los Angeles Clippers: $1,471,382 (1/29)
New Orleans Pelicans: $1,471,382 (2/1)
Cleveland Cavaliers: $1,471,382 (2/8)
Detroit Pistons: $1,471,382 (2/8)
New York Knicks: $1,435,750 (2/7)
New Orleans Pelicans: $1,429,818 (2/1)
Detroit Pistons: $1,331,160 (2/8)
Los Angeles Clippers: $1,331,160 (1/29)
Miami Heat: $1,312,611 (2/8)
Washington Wizards: $1,312,611 (2/8)

For the full list of traded player exceptions currently available, including three Nuggets TPEs ranging in value from $5.9MM to $13.7MM, click here.

Deveney’s Latest: D. Smith Jr., Nuggets, J. Parker

January 18th, 2019 at 1:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

Teams that might otherwise be interested in trading for the Mavericks‘ Dennis Smith Jr. may prefer to try their luck with a talented crop of point guards in free agency, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. The Magic and Suns, who have been mentioned in trade rumors involving Smith, will both have cap room available this summer and could try to upgrade at the position without giving up any assets.

Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker will headline this year’s class, which will also feature D’Angelo Russell and Terry Rozier. They are all more traditional point guards than Smith, who was bumped out of that position in Dallas when the Mavericks drafted Luka Doncic.

“He is very athletic, but he’s not a playmaker and not a great shooter,” a front office executive said of DSJ, per Deveney. “If you have money under the cap this offseason, there are other guys you can pursue who fit better, who can pass and score.”

There are also concerns that Smith is already clashing with management midway through his second season in the league, Deveney adds. Dallas is reluctant to give up on such a talented young player a year after taking him with the No. 9 pick, but another source says he will eventually be traded, whether it happens before the February 7 deadline or sometime in the future.

Deveney shares a couple more trade-related rumors:

The Nuggets may be willing to use their trade exceptions to help improve their defense. After some early-season progress, Denver has been allowing 115.3 points per 100 possessions over the past 15 games, placing the team 29th in the league. The Nuggets have three active trade exceptions, worth $13.7MM, $12.8MM and $5.9MM. They can’t be combined, but any of them could be enticing for teams looking to get rid of salary before the deadline.
Jabari Parker‘s return to the Bulls‘ rotation came more out of need than coach Jim Boylen’s declaration that he has displayed more effort in practice. Deveney claims that Chicago’s front office hasn’t made any progress in its effort to trade Parker and needs him back on the floor to help spark some interest. The former No. 2 overall pick has responded by averaging 14.7 PPG in 18.0 minutes per night over past three games.
The Bulls have no desire to accept salary beyond this season, so Deveney speculates that in order to move Parker, a three-team deal might be necessary with an under-the-cap team involved. Deveney also notes that the Knicks and Pelicans have expressed interest, but Chicago doesn’t want Courtney Lee or Solomon Hill, who are both signed through next season.