Getty Nerlens Noel swats a shot by Detroit Pistons center Isaiah Stewart.
With the New York Knicks falling rapidly out of the playoff race this season, it might be time for the team to make some major changes.
It’s clear by now that the offseason signings of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, two things that looked good on paper, haven’t went the way they wanted for New York.
There are reports indicating the team is ready to move on from some of their veterans such as Walker, Fournier and even Alec Burks. The Knicks are loaded with young talent all dying to get extra minutes, and that includes Cam Reddish who recently came over in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
A major factor in the youngsters not getting playing time is the veterans in front of them on the depth chart. With the Knicks losing more and more ground each day in the playoff race, the time to make a change could be right now.
Trades involving Walker or Fournier are sure to be the ones that make the biggest splash, but there are other players on the roster who could be of value to other teams.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz listed three trades for each team to target by the deadline, and Knicks big man Nerlens Noel is listed as a “dream” target for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Noel Leaving New York?
GettyThe Bucks could be getting a big upgrade in this scenario.
When healthy, Noel can be an absolutely dominant force in the paint due to his size and athleticism. He’s been known to throw down an alley-oop or two during a game as well as swat away several shots.
He’s a proven commodity in the NBA, and he would make for an excellent piece on a championship team. The Bucks are currently without Brook Lopez and there’s a big question mark of what he’ll be able to provide once he does return from back surgery, so a big man like Noel could fill in admirably.
Noel was working on his outside shooting coming into the season, so while he might be able to stretch beyond the three point line like Lopez can at this point in his career, he can still make a different if Lopez isn’t 100 percent.
This would be a big blow to New York, but he hasn’t proven he can stay healthy and with Taj Gibson and Mitchell Robinson on the roster along with up and comer Jericho Sims, the team can afford to let a big man go.
Could It Happen?
GettyNerlens Noel surrounded by 76ers.
As we get closer and closer to the trade deadline, the Knicks are either going to buyers or sellers, but it’s too tough to tell exactly what the plan is at this point.
The Knicks are sitting just outside of the play-in tournament cutoff, so they could definitely make a move to get them closer to that, or they could throw the white flag on the season and build for next year.
With so much young talent on the roster, the team could decide to play the youngsters and see where it takes them. RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin figure to be the core to build around going forward, which means the Knicks could decide to free up as much playing time as possible for that trio.
Toppin has had trouble getting minutes because he’s stuck behind Randle in the depth chart, but Randle’s struggles are well documented this season and it could lead to him losing minutes to Toppin as the season goes on. This could especially become the case if the playoffs become too far out of reach.
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