Teams ‘Keeping an Eye’ on 2 Key Knicks Players

The New York Knicks are a team chock-full of high-potential talents just waiting to break out if ever put in the proper position.

From Quentin Grimes to Cam Reddish, there are a plethora of players on this roster that have the ability to impress at any given moment and who could develop into long-lasting contributors for the club moving forward.

That said, to some the idea of keeping all of New York’s youthful ballers in tow for the long haul seems to be a bit too optimistic and, frankly, unrealistic due, in large, to the hefty sums of money already committed to guys like RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson.

In an October 19 episode of The Putback podcast, SNY’s Ian Begley discussed the difficulties that will come with trying to keep the majority of the Knicks’ young nucleus together past the expiration of their rookie-scale contracts.

During this segment, he noted that because of this particular predicament, teams across the association will be paying close attention to the situation in the hopes of possibly pursuing a trade and he believes that Leon Rose and company could be receptive to inquiries, especially considering the fact that they could still be interested in pursuing a star player.

“There’s going to be teams calling about these young players,” Begley said. “I think the Knicks are going to have these conversations because we know they’re not done in a big picture sense with regards to trying to get a star in here via trade.”

Begley would continue by discussing two players, in particular, that will draw a considerable amount of attention as we move on through the 2022-23 season.

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‘Big Picture Reason’ For Knicks Trade

To Begley, another “big picture reason” for why he believes the Knicks will entertain the idea of trades is due to the upcoming rookie extensions that both Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley will be eligible for come next offseason.

“It’s going to be hard for the Knicks to pay both of those guys because they’ve already committed money to Mitchell Robinson, Derrick Rose is on a long-term deal, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson,” Begley said.

“So you do the math and it seems like you can pay Toppin or Quickley but it would be tough to pay both. I think other teams recognize that and they’re keeping an eye on that scenario too.”

Of the two aforementioned players, to date, it has been Quickley who’s proven himself to be more of a consistent contributor for the Knicks throughout both of their tenures with the club, as he finds himself sporting career averages of 11.3 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.7 rebounds while converting on 36.3% of his three-point attempts in 21.4 minutes per game.

Comparatively, Toppin boasts lesser numbers in nearly every statistical category, averaging just 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and less than an assist per game, while a major handicap for him since arriving in New York has been the presence of starting big Julius Randle and the fact that his style of play makes playing them together rather challenging, thus impacting his playing time.

Though he may have been the eighth overall selection from the 2020 NBA Draft, based on the Knicks’ track record of preferring to give Quickley, that draft’s 25th overall pick, more in-game action, should one of them end up being offloaded, Toppin would likely be the one heading outbound, however, at this point, it’s truly anyone’s guess.

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Beal a ‘Nice Consolation Prize’ for Knicks

Recently, the folks at Bleacher Report penned a piece discussing one trade each NBA team should be “plotting” to make at some point in the future, with deals ranging from pursuits of rotational players to all-out blockbusters.

When it came to the Knicks, writer Greg Swartz concocted a deal that would send star guard Bradley Beal to the Big Apple.

The framework of the proposed deal reads as follows:

New York Knicks receive:

• Bradley Beal
• Taj Gibson

Washington Wizards receive:

• Cam Reddish
• Derrick Rose
• Evan Fournier
• 2023 first-round pick (via Washington Wizards, lottery-protected)
• 2023 first-round pick (via Dallas Mavericks, top-10 protected)
• 2025 first-round pick (lottery-protected)

In discussing his reasoning for why he believes the Knicks should look to pursue this trade, Swartz stated that, in his eyes, it could be a “nice consolation prize” for the club after failing in their pursuits to land Donovan Mitchell this past offseason.

“The three-time All-Star would be a nice consolation prize for the team after missing out on Donovan Mitchell and likely wouldn’t cost as much either since Beal will turn 30 next summer.” Swartz wrote.

“A starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Beal, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson would be formidable, especially with so much young talent left over on the bench.

“Washington’s best-case scenario this season is a spot in the play-in tournament. The Wizards can continue their mediocre run all they want, but moving Beal for a collection of first-round picks and young talent (especially given the 2023 draft class) is the franchise’s best chance at eventually becoming a title contender.”

A perennial All-Star and an All-NBA selection back in 2021, Bradley Beal has established himself as one of the top offensive threats in the association during his 11-year career.

Finishing twice with season scoring averages north of 30 points per game, the guard boasts career averages of 22.1 points and 4.2 assists per game on 45.6% shooting from the floor and 37.2% shooting from deep.

If teamed up with guys like RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle in New York, the Knicks could prove to be one of the most ferocious offensive units in the NBA.

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