Getty Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers heads for the net as RJ Barrett of the New York Knicks defends at Madison Square.
Rumor has it, the New York Knicks are open to making a deal to better consolidate their backcourt rotation moving forward, and, per a report, one of their long-time storied rivals could prove to be a viable trade partner.
Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney recently spoke with an anonymous Eastern Conference executive who told him that veteran point guard Derrick Rose has been on the radar of the Los Angeles Lakers for some time now and, in turn, could end up being pursued by Rob Pelinka and company at some point this season.
“He is always going to be the good soldier and he might not even want out of New York just because he and Thibs are so tight. But he’s going to want to play at some point and he is going to want a chance to win. The Lakers have always had interest,” the executive told Deveney.
The exec would go on to note that while the Lakers have shown interest in the past, making a trade for the former league MVP could ultimately get a bit challenging for Los Angeles, as they have an over-inflated cap situation that would only become more complex with the addition of Rose and his $14.5 million 2022-23 salary.
Despite seemingly having fully recovered from nagging ankle ailments that held him out for all but 26 games last season, the veteran guard has struggled mightily to find consistent minutes within the rotation for the Knicks this season, seeing just 13.2 minutes of action a night.
However, when given the opportunity, he’s shown flashes of still being a quality contributor on the hardwood.
.@drose cookin’ early ♨️
It is because of his low usage and lacking role that some have speculated the veteran could wind up requesting a trade out of New York at some point this year.
As early-season reports indicate, however, it appears that Leon Rose and company are already open to the idea of parting ways with Rose, even without said request, and could also be open to offloading another one of his backcourt cohorts as well.
Knicks Open to Moving Quickley
In a November 18 article penned by Shams Charania of The Athletic, it was reported that the New York Knicks have shown a “willingness” to discuss trades with other ball clubs involving both Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley.
While seeing the veteran mentioned within such a report should come as no surprise considering his lacking role and the team’s current non-contention trajectory, the 23-year-old’s inclusion could certainly be argued as a bit of a head-scratcher.
Since entering the league back in the 2020 NBA Draft, Quickley has become a heavily-utilized role player and a favorite amongst the Knicks fanbase.
BACK-TO-BACK IMMANUEL QUICKLEY THREES👌👌
Now in his third season, the point guard finds himself boasting solid career averages of 11.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game on 36% shooting from distance and, during the early stages of the 2022-23 campaign, is logging a respectable 22.8 minutes per game within head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
Regardless of his status and production on the team, it appears the front office is open to the concept of moving on from the former first-round pick and, according to a November 22 report by The Athletic’s Fred Katz, they’re looking for future first-round draft capital in exchange for his services.
Knicks Believed to be ‘Hoarding’ Picks
The report that New York is looking to acquire future draft picks in trades this season likely comes as no surprise to those in the “know” across the NBA, as Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium suggested on a November 9 episode of FanDuel’s “Run it Back” that many believe the Knicks are stockpiling picks for a potential future blockbuster.
“When I speak to executives around the league, they’re viewing and believing that the Knicks are kind of hoarding those first-round picks just waiting for that next megastar to become available,” Charania said.
.@ShamsCharania on the #Knicks future and Leon Rose passing on Donovan Mitchell this offseason 🏀
An Eastern Conference executive recently shared this same sentiment with Heavy Sports, saying that the Knicks “are approaching things like there will be a star who they can get” via trade at some point down the road, with names like Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Karl-Anthony Towns all being mentioned as potential targets the franchise is monitoring.