Jalen Brunson is beginning to look like a pipe dream for the New York Knicks this summer, as reports continue to surface about the breakout guard’s likelihood of remaining with the Dallas Mavericks.
For a Knicks team that’s desperate for a starting-caliber point guard, that news is a hindrance to their plans for rebuilding a roster that failed to build on the successes of the 2020-21 NBA season.
However, Brunson isn’t the only guard currently plying their trade in the NBA, and as such, isn’t the only option available to the Knicks front office. According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, Minnesota Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell has become a potential trade target should New York miss out on Brunson – which looks increasingly likely.
“As the Knicks work down the list of their point guard options, rival executives have pointed to Minnesota Timberwolves starter D’Angelo Russell as a potential lower-level trade target,” Fischer wrote.
Russell will be entering the final year of his $117 million deal next season, which means his trade value should be considerably lower than anything the Knicks would need to acquire Brunson, and gives them an opportunity to test out Russell’s fit with their core before making a long-term commitment to him.
What Does Russell Bring to the Table?
As with most guards at the NBA level, Russell is predominantly a pick-and-roll ball-handler, utilizing screens on 30.8% of his offensive trips down the floor, averaging 0.99 points per 100 possessions, per Instat’s tracking data. Beyond his pick-and-roll game, Instat has tracked Russell as utilizing catch-and-shoot opportunities (15% of offensive load) and transition play for roughly (15% of offensive load) as his two other primary forms of offense, again hovering on or around one point per 100 possessions.
Having a guard that can penetrate, spot-up, and run the floor is incredibly important for a team like New York, that’s currently developing two slashers in RJ Barrett and Obi Toppin, especially since Russell is such a willing passer, dishing the rock on 31.4% of his drives throughout the regular season, helping him to a career-high 7.1 assists per game.
D’Angelo Russell did the “he didn’t even stretch doe” reaction.
(Via @bennnyboom)
Furthermore, Russell doesn’t like to pressure the rim too often, with Cleaning The Glass tracking his offensive frequency at the rim as just 16% of his total shot attempts, which means lanes will be open for the Knicks’ young slashers and rim-runners. Of course, Barrett will want to continue developing his jump shot after showing promise these past two seasons, and having a drive-and-kick-minded guard will work wonders by putting the young wing into scoring positions off the catch.
Would the Knicks be Interested
If Brunson is truly unavailable, and the front office isn’t enamored with a guard in their range of the draft, trading for a new guard seems inevitable. It shouldn’t be forgotten that the Knicks hired former Timberwolves GM Gersson Rosas as a consultant back in February, the same man that was willing to trade away Andrew Wiggins in order to obtain Russell.
Obviously, Rosas is unlikely to hold any true power when it comes to pushing for trade targets, but his first-hand experience of working with Russell, coupled with the guard’s stellar season for the Timberwolves will likely be enough to turn the Knicks’ heads and at least generate some interest.
D’Angelo Russell and the Knicks are a match made in heaven. Knicks get a point guard who can give you 25 a game while dishing out 8 assists consistently. Guy you can go to in the clutch as well. Perfect fit👇👇👇
Minnesota is coming off the back of their best season in recent memory, so it remains to be seen how easily they could be tempted into moving Russell, but with one year left on his deal, and multiple interesting young players at the Knicks’ disposal, it’s certainly plausible that a reasonable agreement could be made between both parties.
It’s also worth noting that Russell and Julius Randle could form a deadly partnership, which when buoyed by Barrett, Toppin, Mitchell Robinson (if he stays with the team), Immanuel Quickly, and Quentin Grimes, forms a legitimate core to begin building upon moving forwards.
Comments
Knicks Rumors: $117 Million Guard a Potential Trade Target