The New York Knicks may be on the right track toward getting back to respectability and, in turn, the postseason, but it’s rather evident that they’re still a piece or two away from being considered legitimate contenders.
Last offseason, Leon Rose and company swung for the fences at a blockbuster transaction to acquire said piece in Donovan Mitchell though, as we all know, they came up well short of striking on it.
This upcoming summer presents another opportunity for the ball club to land that highly coveted talent upgrade and, in a recent sit down with Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive constructed a trade idea that would allow the Knicks to accomplish their star-driven goals.
The framework of the proposed deal reads as follows:
New York Knicks receive: Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls receive: RJ Barrett, Evan Fournier, 3 future first-round picks
Considering they opted not to execute a big-time deal at this year’s trade deadline and, ultimately, played it safe with the low-cost, high-upside acquisition of Josh Hart, the anonymous executive suggested that the club could be waiting to see what the offseason has in store from a player availability standpoint.
In the GM’s opinion, should LaVine be placed on the block, New York may want to consider dangling fourth-year wing RJ Barrett in the direction of the Chicago Bulls.
“They will have assets. They will be able to trade (R.J.) Barrett after this year…they still have the Evan Fournier contract and they have four extra first-rounders in the next four or five years,” the exec told Deveney. “It is a huge financial commitment taking on LaVine but if they built a package based around Barrett and picks—Barrett with Fournier and 3 picks, something in that range—then they might be able to get it done. If your starting five is Brunson, Quickley, LaVine, Randle, and Robinson, that is a good group.”
Knicks, Bulls Discuss Zach LaVine Trade
During the hours directly leading up to the February 9 NBA trade deadline, it was reported by Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Knicks and Bulls entered trade talks revolving around LaVine, though no deal was ultimately made.
Should the two parties still have an interest in making a deal work at some point in the near future, the east executive seems to believe that a package of Barrett, Fournier, and picks could prove to be enough to send the star guard to the Big Apple.
Knicks, Bulls Could Revisit Talks
“This seems like a conversation both teams will at least explore again in the 2023 offseason.”
On what’s next for the Knicks after the trade deadline, including a possible offseason pursuit of Zach LaVine (via @IanBegley) t.co/fF8TjyiZHK
Following the 2023 trade deadline, SNY NBA insider Ian Begley suggested in a February 10 piece that though the Knicks and Bulls did not ultimately come to an agreement on a Zach LaVine trade, there’s a chance that the two parties could re-enter talks this coming offseason.
“They had contact with Chicago on Thursday about a trade for LaVine. But they informed someone in the early afternoon that a LaVine trade was highly unlikely to happen. The Knicks and Bulls also touched base on LaVine several weeks prior to the trade deadline, per people familiar with the matter,” Begley wrote. “Obviously, the Knicks didn’t meet Chicago’s asking price on Thursday. This seems like a conversation both teams will at least explore again in the 2023 offseason.”
Following Begley’s piece, analyst Jalen Rose shared on a February 21 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today that he believes the Bulls could realistically look to shop their prized guard this summer, thus further strengthening the notion that the Knicks pursuing LaVine again in the future is a rather realistic possibility.
COME FLY WITH ME! ✈️
Despite Chicago’s sub-.500 record of 30-36, their two-time All-Star is putting forth yet another impressive all-around campaign, as he’s posting impressive averages of 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steals on 48.0% shooting from the floor and 38.4% shooting from deep.
Knicks Guard May Be Mulling Retirement
In the same discussion with Heavy Sports, the executive shed light on veteran guard Derrick Rose’s decision to not request a buyout from the Knicks following this year’s trade deadline despite the rumblings that he’d be a highly sought-after commodity by title contenders if available.
During the sit-down, they pondered on if the former All-Star’s lacking interest in parting with New York could be considered a sign that he’s questioning the future of his playing career moving forward.
“He would have had some really good options (had he opted out). He wanted to stay in a place where he is not playing, though, and where the team is pretty good but not a real contender. Derrick’s loyal, he is loyal to Thibs, he is loyal to (Knicks official William) Wesley. But they would have been OK with letting him go somewhere else. He did not want to. You have to wonder if he is going to keep playing much longer because he was in a position to reconstruct the end of his career and he just did not take it,” the executive told Deveney.
LOUD chants for Derrick Rose to enter the game from the fans at MSG
The crowd goes WILD as he enters the game 🧡
Now in year 15, the former league MVP finds himself on the outside looking in on head coach Tom Thibodeau’s regular nine-man rotation and has played in just 27 games in 2022-23, a majority of which have seen him log 10 or fewer minutes.
Despite this stark drop-off in usage compared to his previous seasons in the association, Rose has remained a consummate professional throughout the year and has been publicly praised by his fellow teammates such as Julius Randle for his leadership whilst residing on the sidelines.