Trade Proposal Has Knicks Part Ways With Lottery Pick for Pelicans Guard

Getty New York Knicks teammates Mitchell Robinson and Kevin Knox

The New York Knicks entered the 2020 season with little to no expectations. Coming off of a season where they were a lottery team, most Knicks fans were willing to settle for just seeing mere improvement within the franchise. But the Knicks surprised everyone last season. Not only did they make the playoffs, but they finished as a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference.

Despite a disappointing loss at the hands of Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of last year’s playoffs, it was clear that Knicks’ basketball is back and in a big way. Now as they approach a new year, they are looking to improve on last year’s miracle season.

Trade Proposal: Knicks Trade Kevin Knox for Garrett Temple

The Knicks selected forward Kevin Knox with the 9th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, his career in the Big Apple has not panned out as many expected it to. With Knox set to become a restricted free agent after this season, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report has the Knicks moving the former Kentucky Wildcat to New Orleans in exchange for Pelicans’ guard Garrett Temple.

“After a better-than-expected 2020-21 and an offseason in which they replaced Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock with Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks have a rotation that’ll be difficult for 22-year-old Kevin Knox to crack,” Bailey writes per Bleacher Report.

“Knox, despite shooting a career-high 39.3 percent from three last season, doesn’t appear to be a part of New York’s long-term plans. And if they’re going to let him walk anyway, it’s probably worth seeing if they can at least get a second-round pick before he leaves.”

Bailey: Knicks Need To Get ‘Anything’ for Kevin Knox

Bailey notes that despite a less than productive career with the Knicks, Knox is still just 22-years old and would be a great fit for the Pelicans’ young core. And for the Knicks getting anything in exchange for Knox is better than just letting him walk for free.

“For New York, again, this is about getting anything for Knox. But Garrett Temple could be useful, too,” Bailey continues.

“He’s only hit 33.4 percent of his three-point attempts over the last three seasons, but Tom Thibodeau seems to have a soft spot for experienced role players who can defend multiple positions. If RJ Barrett, Fournier, or Alec Burks were to miss time to injury, Temple would be a decent fallback.”

Team Executive Defines Knox as ‘Incomplete’

At just 22 years old, Knox still has a lot of time to transform himself into a star. We have seen players such as his teammate Julius Randle step into stardom late. Even with that being the case, the clock is ticking for him to prove that his potential can turn into prevalence. One team executive defines him as “incomplete.”

“I think he falls into the category of incomplete,’’ the team executive said per Marc Berman of the “New York Post.” “Meaning, I don’t know if a lot of teams have an actual value on him right now.”

The Knicks surprised everyone in 2020 by not only making the playoffs but becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. If Knox can have a breakout season in 2021, they could get even better. Buckle up Knicks fans it’s about to be a wild ride!

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