The New York Knicks are expected to make a move or two by the trade deadline in February, and they have the assets to move with Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish outside of the active rotation.
North of New York, teams around the league are looking at the Toronto Raptors as potential sellers, and The Athletic’s Eric Koreen cooked up a trade idea that would see sharpshooting guard Gary Trent Jr. suit up for the Knicks.
It’s a trade that would greatly help out the Knicks as it’d bring another sharpshooter to the roster, something that’s very important in the absence of Fournier.
Trent to the Knicks
With the Knicks healthy again, they can set their sights on a playoff run. While the roster has shown it can compete with any team on any given night, adding a piece or two will make things a lot easier on them.
Koreen’s proposal to land Trent would mean the Knicks give up both Rose and Immanuel Quickley, and that does make sense for both sides.
- Knicks Receive: Gary Trent Jr.
- Raptors Receive: Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, worse of Mavericks/Knicks 2023 first-round pick
The trade sees fan-favorite Rose go to Toronto and he’ll be joined by Quickley. Quickley is the tough one to give up, but it makes sense if it means landing Trent. They are both around the same age, except Trent is the better shooter between the two.
However, The Athletic’s Fred Katz believes this isn’t a trade the Knicks consider because of the way Quickley is improving.
“I don’t see the Knicks doing this one, especially with the way Quickley is starting to turn it on,” he wrote. “He’s become New York’s best team defender on the perimeter. Trent is a quality scorer and shooter. He can get hot. But I’m not sure that’s what the Knicks need, especially considering there’s a chance he could end up a rental if he chooses not to pick up his player option this summer.”
Trent is averaging 18.5 points per game for the Raptors at the moment, so he’d bring a big scoring boost for the Knicks, but that might not be enough for them.
A way the two players stand apart is the fact that Quickley can fill in at both guard positions, while Trent is more of a pure shooter. Both are solid players, but Katz thinks Quickley fits better with the Knicks at the moment.
Is Quickley Turning a Corner?
While Quickley plays a big role for the Knicks at the moment, they are surely hoping he can make another leap.
Something he’s struggled with throughout his career is shooting efficiency, and he’s shooting a career-best 41.5 percent from the floor this season, a number the Knicks would want to be much higher with how much of a volume shooter he’s become.
He’s still on his rookie contract, so the Knicks can afford to be patient with him as he continues to develop. This is his best season as a pro so far, so while The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the Knicks were listening to offers for him, he remains unlikely to be traded at the moment.
The right offer could still come around for the Knicks, but it’s probably going to be for someone a lot more valuable than the Gary Trents of the world.
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Proposed Trade Would Land Knicks Proven Sharpshooter From Raptors