‘Stud Role Player’ Named Perfect Fit For Knicks

Getty Josh Hart of the Portland Trail Blazers dribbles as Julius Randle and RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks defend.

The New York Knicks are looking to make a playoff push, and adding a good role player could go a long way in making that goal a reality.

WIth so many names available, it can be tough to narrow down who would be a good fit or not, but The Athletic’s Fred Katz went through a list of names and argues Josh Hart would be a “perfect” fit for team provided he can start taking his open shots.

“And now we turn our attention to stud role player Josh Hart, who could be perfect for the Knicks if he stopped passing up so many 3s,” he wrote. “Hart defends, is one of the NBA’s best rebounding guards, is efficient inside the arc and plays with a verve Thibodeau would appreciate.”

Hart is averaging 9.3 points per game, 8.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the season for the Blazers. A hard-nosed rebounder and pesky defender is somebody who fits right in Tom Thibodeau’s system, so it’d make a lot of sense for the Knicks to be interested in his services.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Blazers are open to trading away Hart, so it’s not that far-fetched for the Knicks to make an offer here.

“Portland has given rival teams the impression that it is open to discussing the majority of its players, particularly Josh Hart and Jusuf Nurkic, sources said, as the franchise remains committed to building a playoff contender around Lillard,” he reported.

The Knicks Are Linked to Many Moves

Evan Fournier, Derrick Rose and Cam Reddish are all outside of the active rotation, and that makes them the three likeliest players on the roster to be moved. Katz believes the Knicks will be in that buyers category, and that means New York will almost certainly have to part with at least one of the aforementioned players.

“All indications are that the New York Knicks, who are currently seventh in the East at 27-24, will try to improve,” he wrote. “They’re one of many hoping that a few franchises straddling the buy-sell line will choose to part with helpful veterans.”

The Knicks will be in the play-in tournament if the season ended today, and a trade could be what it takes to get into the 6th seed and above. There have been talks between the Milwaukee Bucks, and it’s been reported New York was offered Grayson Allen in exchange for Reddish.

“The Milwaukee Bucks have been offering wing Grayson Allen to multiple teams, per sources, for various players on the block, including Reddish,” reported Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.

So far, there’s been no real movement on that end to indicate a trade is on the horizon, and things have been very quiet around the league outside of the Rui Hachimura trade.

Trade Deadline Coming Up Fast

As January comes to a close, the time to make a trade before the deadline is fast approaching. The trade deadline is February 9, and deadline day is typically when a flurry of moves happen.

There isn’t a superstar talent that’s being dangled around this season, but there’s still time for lesser players to be moved. Names like OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic and Kelly Oubre Jr. are names that have come up in talks of late, and each of them could be good candidates to be moved.

New York has shown an interest in Anunoby according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

“The Knicks and Suns are among the interested suitors in Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby, sources say,” he reported. “New York has shown a willingness to offer multiple first-round picks for Anunoby, according to those sources.”