Getty The Knicks and Lakers reportedly had a deal fall apart.
The New York Knicks were expected to be active participants at the trade deadline on February 10, but the cutoff has come and gone, and not a single move was made to improve the team.
While it’s disappointing to Knicks fans to see this, doing nothing was always an option, and it might’ve been the right move considering doing a move for the sake of doing one isn’t always the right decision.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel were among the players shopped ahead of the deadline, but the Knicks decided to hang onto the both of them.
The Knicks were linked to a variety of big-name players such as Russell Westbrook and CJ McCollum, but a deal never came to fruition.
Speaking on ESPN’s NBA Today, Brian Windhorst revealed the Knicks and Lakers had a deal that fell apart on February 9, but it’s not clear who exactly was involved in it.
Missed Deal
Brian Windhorst says a Knicks/Lakers deal fell apart
While speaking about the Knicks making a potential move, Windhorst offered a peek under the hood at a deal that never was.
“They were close to a deal, or at least had some traction on a deal, with the Lakers, yesterday that would’ve involved them getting some draft picks for sending out a couple of players, but the deal fell apart,” he said.
No additional details were offered, but it’s not surprising to hear the Lakers calling and looking for potential upgrades. Considering the wording Windhorst used, it’s not likely this was a trade that would’ve brought Westbrook to New York, but likely something much smaller.
As it stands, both the Lakers and Knicks stood pat at the trade deadline, and both of them are two disappointing teams this season. Right now, the Lakers certainly have the higher upside of the two, but they are only getting older while the Knicks have a younger core that will continue to develop.
What Now?
Justification for Knicks’ decision-making was that they had tradeable, moveable — whatever fancy NBA buzzword you want to use — contracts. But, and excuse the obvious point, the value in a tradeable contract is that you can trade it. Knicks tried to deal some and had no takers.
For the Knicks, it’s looking like they will go the rest of the year with the team they have currently.
Fournier and Julius Randle are signed for several more years on more expensive deals, so it makes sense they weren’t moved at the deadline. It’s possible one of them could be dealt during the offseason where teams have more cap space available.
As for this season, the Knicks will look to make a run with the squad they have, but things have not looked promising at all for the team. There’s also the question of Cam Reddish and whether or not he’ll find playing time.
It was expected the team would make a move in order to get him into the rotation, but that never happened. Coach Tom Thibodeau, who reportedly wasn’t on board with the trade in the first place, will now have to choose between giving him minutes or letting him continue to ride the bench.
Although it seems very strange the Knicks would trade for a player they have no intention of playing, that is the exact scenario that is playing out for Reddish right now.
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Knicks & Lakers Trade Falls Apart Before Deadline: Report