Getty Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts against the Chicago Bulls.
Now over a quarter of the way through the 2022-23 NBA season, the tick of time is beginning to grow louder for the New York Knicks to execute that long-desired roster reshuffling transaction that they’ve been interested in making since the early stages of this past summer.
With February 9th’s trade deadline drawing closer into sight, the rumor mill has been steadily picking up its pace, and the Knickerbockers have been one of the most buzzed-about teams found rotating within it.
Throughout the past few months, there have been several names attached to the franchise as being popular mid-season targets for Leon Rose and company to consider pursuing, and, just recently, the oft-mentioned Kelly Oubre Jr. was reestablished by Bleacher Report as being a “fresh” talent for the club to think about acquiring.
Dunk AND recovery 10/10
Tabbed by writer Zach Buckley as a player that “would up the athleticism” of the wing rotation for the Knicks, the 2015 first-round pick finds himself in the midst of one of his best seasons from a statistical standpoint, posting averages of 21.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game in 28 starts for the Hornets.
Despite his impressive production, however, Charlotte is amid an overall putrid campaign, as they boast the league’s worst record of 7-21 which, in turn, has some believing that a full-out fire sale could soon find itself taking place for Michael Jordan’s squad.
Should this happen, Buckley is under the impression that New York could have their eyes on Oubre which, considering rumblings from years past, isn’t all that wild of a scenario.
Knicks Have Shown Interest in Oubre Jr.
Before Kelly Oubre Jr. decided to ink a two-year, $24.6 million deal with the Hornets back during the summer of 2021, it was reported that the Knicks were interested in attaining his services, with Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News reporting that such a pursuit was part of a larger plan to help complement a future star they thought they might also attain.
Report: The Knicks and Kelly Oubre reportedly have “mutual interest,” via @NYPost_Berman
Of course, fast forward just over a year later and we find that these reported plans did not come to fruition, as Oubre finds himself averaging 16.6 points and 4.3 rebounds thus far into his tenure in Charlotte while New York finds itself still void of any semblance of a true star player.
That said, just like with their continued efforts to try and acquire that coveted franchise savior, Buckley believes that they should also be interested in bringing on the high-flying wing, and has been quite vocal about said belief throughout these first few months of the 2022-23 campaign.
Knicks Might as Well Keep Reddish
Though the concept of seeing the Knicks make a mid-season trade is always an exciting thought for the franchise’s loyal followers, if the club is interested in adding a highly athletic, inconsistent forward like Kelly Oubre Jr., they might as well just hold onto the assets it would take to acquire him and fill this desire by thrusting Cam Reddish back into the rotation.
“Good. He’s in working, & that’s all he can do…have the right attitude, right approach, keep concentrating on improving. Rarely is anything ever permanent; when another opportunity comes, be ready”
—Thibs on reaction from Cam Reddish after being removed from the Knicks rotation
Axed from head coach Tom Thibodeau’s desired nine-man rotation back on December 4, it is reported that the wing and his representatives are working with the Knicks in an effort to part ways via trade before February’s trade deadline.
However, should the team find itself in a position to either move pieces to acquire Kelly Oubre Jr. or hold onto Reddish, there’s a strong argument to be made that the latter option should be the most desired.
From a financial standpoint, standing pat makes more sense considering both are attached to expiring deals, though Reddish is only earning $8.1 million while Oubre is earning $12.6 million.
Age-wise, Reddish once again has the edge, as he just turned 23 this past September while Oubre turned 27 earlier this month.
As far as play is concerned, while the veteran is the proven commodity from a counting stats perspective, for the most part, his services aren’t necessarily more complementary to this current Knicks core than the former lottery pick, as perimeter shooting and defense are two areas in need of bolstering and, with his 33% career 3-point shooting clip and -1.6 defensive box plus-minus, it would appear that he most certainly would not help move the needle for them in these aspects of the game.
When it comes to mapping out a potential trade involving Reddish, should it see the team bringing on a skill set of great need or helping them shed excessive salaries the Knicks should be quite interested in striking such a deal.
However, should it be in a deal where the most noteworthy return piece is an older talent with a similar skill set and who’s attached to a more pricey contract, one could make the case that New York should simply look to steer clear.