- Stanley Johnson‘s name has surfaced repeatedly in trade rumors this season, and according to Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press (Twitter link), the Knicks are one team that has been monitoring the third-year forward. Ellis adds that he’d be “stunned” to see Johnson moved, however.
Knicks center Willy Hernangomez is seeking a trade out of New York, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, who reports that Hernangomez’s representatives have informed Knicks officials of the trade request in recent days.
After a solid rookie season, Hernangomez has seen his role reduced in 2017/18, and has repeatedly expressed a desire to play more. While there was a belief that the 23-year-old would be satisfied with the Knicks moving one or two of their other centers to clear minutes up front, it now appears that Hernangomez would prefer a trade to a team prepared to give him more of an opportunity right away.
A second-round pick in 2015, Hernangomez signed his first NBA contract in the summer of 2016 and played 72 games (22 starts) during the 2016/17 campaign. He averaged a respectable 8.2 PPG and 7.0 RPG for the Knicks in just 18.4 minutes per contest in his rookie year. This season, however, Enes Kanter and Kyle O’Quinn have been the Knicks’ primary centers, limiting Hernangomez to just 9.2 MPG in 25 contests.
While it remains to be seen where Hernangomez might land if the Knicks decide to grant his reported trade request, Charania hears that several teams have engaged in discussions about the former Real Madrid big man. A report last week suggested that the Spurs and Mavericks were among the teams to express interest in Hernangomez, while a January report linked the Jazz to the young center.
The Knicks‘ strategy approaching Thursday’s trade deadline is still unclear — the team has struggled to win games, but is within striking distance of the playoffs. Center Enes Kanter, who has arguably been the team’s best player, hopes the team caters its deadline decisions around a playoff push, Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes.
“I think right now, our only goal is making the playoffs,” Kanter said. “Whatever guys they move or they don’t move, my thing is just focus on the playoffs. Obviously, I like every guy on our team. I would want to play with all the guys for the rest of my season and career because they’re just good locker room guys — besides basketball, they’re really just good guys off the court.”
Players such as Courtney Lee, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, and even Kanter himself have seen their names floated in trade rumors. However, Kanter, along with Kristaps Porzingis, is the latest player to express a desire for the team to prioritize a playoff push rather than selling assets.
Check out other Atlantic Division notes below:
- Despite sentiments from Knicks players of continuing a run at the postseason, Tommy Beer of Basketball Insiders opines that the team should sell at the deadline. Beer writes that while getting Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina playoff experience would be beneficial, it should not come at the cost of acquiring assets for the future.
- Jeremy Lin‘s season-ending ruptured patellar tendon on opening night derailed a lot of optimism for the Nets at the season’s onset. While injuries have limited Lin to just 37 games in his first two seasons in Brooklyn, he’s expected to recover in time for Nets training camp next season, ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk writes.
- The Celtics agreed to a deal with Greg Monroe on Friday but the team may be waiting for a corresponding trade before making the signing official, tweets Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald.
The Knicks are sellers ahead of the February 8 trade deadline, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes, with their eyes set on the 2019 free agent class rather than anything short-term. He broke down several players who could be shed in the team’s pursuit of draft assets and cap flexibility.
Bondy writes that the Knicks would love to deal Joakim Noah but, as has been discussed ad nauseam, such a deal isn’t likely to come to fruition. Neither, Bondy says, is a trade involving Enes Kanter, the 25-year-old whose comeback season and $18MM contract make him likely to remain in the Big Apple.
Other players like Courtney Lee and Michael Beasley are likely to remain with the Knicks, Bondy says — the former because he’s a consistent producer on the young squad and the latter because there hasn’t been much interest outside of the Knicks organization itself.
- Injured Knicks guard Ron Baker will have to choose whether or not to undergo surgery on his shoulder, says Marc Berman of The New York Post. One specialist recommended such a procedure that would sideline Baker for three-to-six months.
- In case you hadn’t guessed by now, Joakim Noah and Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek “pretty much hate each other,” Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News tweets.
With Jabari Parker‘s return to the court set for Friday night, we relayed several Bucks-related notes and rumors on Thursday, including a couple related to Parker and the contract extension discussions he had with the team last fall. Today, we’ve got a few more Bucks items to pass along, courtesy of Michael Scotto of The Athletic. Let’s dive in…
- Acquiring frontcourt help continues to be the top priority for the Bucks, according to Scotto. While Clippers center DeAndre Jordan is known to be among the team’s targets, Milwaukee is also eyeing more modest trade candidates, such as Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon and Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn, league sources tell Scotto.
- Although the Bucks expressed trade interest in O’Quinn, the Knicks “aren’t desperate” to deal him for just a second-round pick, says Scotto.
- Matthew Dellavedova is one of the players the Bucks have made available in their search for frontcourt reinforcements, per Scotto.
- The Bucks are also “heavily” shopping Rashad Vaughn after turning down his 2018/19 team option, according to Scotto. Vaughn, who is on a $1.89MM expiring contract, would be easier to move than Dellavedova or some other Bucks on multiyear deals, but he wouldn’t net much of a return.
FEBRUARY 2, 11:02am: The Knicks have confirmed that Noah will remain away from the team “until further notice,” tweets Berman. The club referred to it as a mutual decision.
JANUARY 31, 11:28pm: The Knicks and Noah’s reps discussed his status on Wednesday, and the team won’t require him to report back before next Thursday’s trade deadline, says ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
New York’s front office continues to exhaust trade options for Noah, but the club is unwilling to attach valuable draft picks or young players to the center’s contract to attract interest, per Woj. If that stance doesn’t change, it’s hard to imagine the Knicks finding a taker, unless they’re willing to absorb another bad contract or two.
JANUARY 31, 8:45am: Joakim Noah remains away from the Knicks this week, and there’s a growing sense that he may not return to the club until after the February 8 trade deadline, if at all, according to reports from ESPN’s Ian Begley and Marc Berman of The New York Post.
As we’ve previously detailed, reported altercations between Noah and head coach Jeff Hornacek over the big man’s playing time led to the Knicks sending him away for what the team referred to as “personal reasons.” During Noah’s absence, New York’s front office has increased its efforts to find a trade partner willing to take on his sizable contract. The 32-year-old was previously expected to report back to the club later this week, but the fact that now he may not return before the deadline suggests those trade efforts are ongoing.
According to Berman, teams have been open to acquiring Noah if the Knicks include their 2018 first-rounder in a deal, but New York has been unwilling to put that pick on the table. If that stance doesn’t change and the team can’t find a suitable deal for Noah before the deadline, it’s unclear what the next steps are for the team and the player.
As Begley observes, it may not be productive to bring back a disgruntled, little-used veteran at a time when the Knicks are trying to build a positive culture and develop their young players. However, as both Berman and Begley note, the Knicks’ non-trade options for Noah are very limited.
Buyout discussions haven’t taken place, and the veteran center wouldn’t be eager to give back a significant chunk of money in a buyout anyway. Waiving Noah and stretching the final two years of his contract over five seasons is one possibility, but it would have a major impact on the Knicks’ salary cap projections through 2022/23, as we detailed last month. Cutting Noah outright and leaving his cap hits as is would also be an option for the team, albeit not a particularly appealing one.
Before sending Omer Asik to Chicago, the Pelicans explored trading the veteran center to a number of other teams, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic. League sources tells Scotto that the Hawks and Pelicans recently talked about a deal that would have sent Asik and a first-round pick to Atlanta in exchange for Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova.
The Mavericks discussed a deal that would have seen them take on both Asik and Alexis Ajinca – along with a first-round pick – in exchange for Wesley Matthews, but Dallas was hesitant to take on two undesirable multiyear contracts, says Scotto.
Additionally, the Pelicans proposed a pair of trades to the Lakers, according to Scotto, who reports that one would have sent Asik and a first-round pick to L.A. for Jordan Clarkson, while the other would have sent Ajinca and a second-round pick to the Lakers for Julius Randle. That second deal could technically still happen, but I can’t imagine it would appeal to the Lakers.
Scotto’s piece for The Athletic is jam-packed with more noteworthy trade rumors, so let’s dive in and round up some highlights…
- The Magic‘s front office has “left no stone unturned” as the team explores potential trades. Scotto hears that the club has even quietly gauged trade interest in Aaron Gordon, who will be a restricted free agent this summer. I imagine Orlando would require a pretty overwhelming offer to seriously consider moving Gordon.
- Several teams have expressed interest in Nets forward DeMarre Carroll, according to Scotto, who identifies the Heat as one of those teams.
- As we heard on Thursday, the Bulls are still very much open for business. Robin Lopez is a trade candidate, but Chicago wants a first-round pick in a deal for the veteran center, per Scotto.
- Scotto names Malik Beasley, Kenneth Faried, and Emmanuel Mudiay as trade candidates for the Nuggets, noting that the team could be a suitor for Jazz guard Rodney Hood.
- Hood isn’t the only Jazz guard who could be available at the deadline — Scotto hears that Utah has also explored the trade market for Ricky Rubio.
- Several teams are monitoring Pistons forward Stanley Johnson. Scotto notes that Johnson was one player the Magic coveted when they discussed deals with Detroit earlier in the season, and adds that the Spurs have interest too.
- Speaking of the Spurs, they’re one of the teams – as are the division-rival Mavericks – that has expressed interest in Knicks center Willy Hernangomez.
- The Wizards are keeping an eye on the trade market and buyout market for a backup point guard, writes Scotto.
- Fourth-year forward Noah Vonleh has been shopped by the Trail Blazers, according to Scotto. In addition to keeping tabs on DeAndre Jordan, Portland is also interested in acquiring a small forward.
- Executives around the NBA believe that Raptors swingman Norman Powell could be a trade candidate during the offseason due to the emergence of rookie OG Anunoby.
The Knicks have some decisions to make with the February 8 trade deadline approaching, but the team’s top priority is to become more athletic, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
This plan deviates from the mandate that was issued by former team president Phil Jackson. Under Jackson’s reign, the Knicks were focused on plucking players who fit the triangle offense; by Jackson’s own words, the club was focused less on individual athleticism and more on team-oriented players.
As Berman notes, none of the centers on New York’s roster (Enes Kanter, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, and Joakim Noah) qualify as overly athletic. The Knicks are reportedly looking to unload Noah’s albatross contract and have received interest in O’Quinn and Hernangomez. While the team is technically in the playoff race, the direction under the team’s new ownership has been long-term development over quick fixes.
Check out other Knicks and Nets news below:
- Speaking to Berman’s point, Newsday’s Al Iannazzone emphasized the Knicks’ inability to match up against younger, more athletic teams. A Celtics team that played four rookies and sat Kyrie Irving beat New York by 30 points. “We need everybody to play as hard as they can,” head coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We’re not the size and athleticism of a lot of these teams, so we’ve got to do that.”
- The Knicks do not appear to be strong sellers or buyers as the deadline near, ESPN’s Ian Begley writes. New York has appealing assets (Courtney Lee, O’Quinn, Hernangomez), talented youngsters (Frank Ntilikina), and first-round picks. However, the club doesn’t want to sell off those picks or young assets to make a playoff push, and also doesn’t want to ditch its veterans and tank.
- While the big news of the day was LeBron James potentially meeting with the Warriors in free agency, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News gives his take on why the Knicks need to maintain focus on their plan.
- Joe Harris has been one of the few Nets whose name has floated in deadline trade talks, but sources, including Harris’ agent, tell Brian Lewis of the New York Post that Brooklyn is not shopping the sharpshooter. “[GM] Sean [Marks] is certainly not out looking to trade Joe. I know that,” said agent Mark Bartelstein. “If anybody offers the right package, of course it could happen; but nothing Sean has said has or intimated makes me feel like something going on.”
- Kristaps Porzingis is planning to use his first All-Star game appearance as a recruiting opportunity, reports Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. One of his first targets? Team LeBron teammate Kyrie Irving, who is from the New York area and listed the Knicks as a preferred destination before being traded to Boston.
- The Nets have benched veteran center Tyler Zeller in favor of youngsters Jahlil Okafor and Jarrett Allen, reports Brian Lewis of the New York Post. While head coach Kenny Atkinson wouldn’t confirm the move as permanent, Allen started in Zeller’s place in last night’s loss to the Knicks after Zeller had started 33 of the last 34 games.
- The Knicks have recalled shooting guard Damyean Dotson from the G League, the team announced today (via Twitter). Dotson’s assignment with the Westchester Knicks was a brief one, as he was just sent to New York’s affiliate on Tuesday.