Getty Is Kelly Oubre Jr. defending his future teammate?
The New York Knicks find themselves on another winning streak, and while it hasn’t reached eight games yet, the team could be looking at adding more talent to make that happen.
According to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, the Knicks should look at Kelly Oubre Jr., and this is far from the first time he’s been mentioned as a target for New York. The timing isn’t the best as the Hornets announced he was undergoing hand surgery that will cause him to miss 4-6 weeks, but that could make him the perfect target for the Knicks.
While this has been a streaky team, the Knicks are reaching full strength again as both Obi Toppin and RJ Barrett are nearing returns, and as the trade deadline looms closer, New York could be looking to add more firepower.
Knicks Linked to Oubre Again
While the Knicks don’t have a ton of problems scoring, it doesn’t hurt to add somebody averaging a career-best 20.2 points per game as Oubre is. Something that Oubre can also bring to the table is a bit of defense, something that coach Tom Thibodeau has shown to appreciate in the past.
Buckley believes a “lanky” wing who plays defense would fit in with the Knicks, and his injury could be a good thing for the Knicks if they plan on acquiring him.
“Oubre fits that bill—or, rather, he will once he recovers from recent surgery on a torn ligament in his left hand,” he wrote. “That operation could prove a blessing in disguise for the Knicks, though, if it drops his trade cost.”
The Knicks do have plenty of assets to offer in a trade whether it’s a draft pick or a young talent like Cam Reddish, but considering they didn’t pull the trigger on Donovan Mitchell, what would change for them acquiring somebody like Oubre who could just leave after the season?
One of the biggest issues with Oubre would be fitting him into the lineup. With Grimes looking like he’s earned the starting role for the team, that makes it seem like Oubre would be better suited as a bench guy. That would raise the question of why is he worth trading for?
Averaging 20 PPG is nothing to scoff at, but the number would surely drop with him coming off the bench and playing a reduced role. There’s no question he’s talented as a scorer, but there are also questions about how he fits with the team going forward. He factors in as a good option for half a season, but signing him for a contract after the season would throw a wrench into things.
What Do The Knicks Plan on Doing?
As is the case with many teams at this point in the season, there are trade winds blowing but no moves have been made.
We’ve seen proposals thrown around and anonymous sources saying the Knicks have been talking with other teams, but nothing noteworthy has happened as of yet.
Trade season typically becomes most active in the days and minutes even leading up to the deadline, so we could still be a month out from seeing a bunch of dominoes fall.
Reddish, Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier are all odd men out in the rotation and each of them still hold some value to opposing teams, but it comes down to making a trade work. Fournier has a big contract teams would have to be willing to match, and that could be easier said than done.
Rose is 34 years old coming off a year where he suffered from a variety of injuries, and that could keep teams wary of trading for him.
It would seem that Reddish holds the most value, but teams would have to commit to him next offseason or let him walk for nothing. The Knicks gave up a first-round pick to acquire him, a move that has not panned out for them. It’s not likely another team will make the same mistake New York did.
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