New York Knicks ‘Expressing Interest’ in Shot-Blocking Big Man

The New York Knicks are sitting at 20-21 at the halfway point of the season, so they’re effectively a .500 team, something that was not expected coming into the year.

With big upgrades made in the form of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, it was expected that the team would be competing for home court advantage in the playoffs instead of being a candidate for the play-in tournament, but that’s the way the dominoes have fallen.

Some of the struggles this season can be chalked up to the health of the center position. Due to the revolving door of Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel, Taj Gibson has been forced to play heavy minutes for the team, something that might not have been the plan coming into the season.

As a result of all this, the Knicks are looking at potential upgrades to the center position, and one of the names that keeps popping up is Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. A fearsome shot-blocked in his own right, Turner also features the ability to step out beyond the arc and knock down some threes, so he’d fit right in with the Knicks.

When it was revealed the Pacers would be open to trading away some of their pieces, the Knicks were one of the first teams mentioned as a possibility. The Athletic’s Sham Charania says both the Mavericks and Knicks are in the running for the big man as of right now.

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Turner to Knicks?

There’s no question that Turner would instantly make the Knicks are a better team as they’d get a healthy, athletic center on the team who can also shoot, but it does mean they’d have to give up some pieces in a trade.

With Mitchell Robinson failing to sign an extension, and him also giving the Knicks health scares, he could potentially be involved in a trade that would ship him to the Pacers.

Turner is currently the NBA’s top shot blocker, so he’s somebody who would provide an instant boost to a team that’s looking to upgrade. The Knicks might not have to break the bank to acquire Turner, so it could very well be something they consider at some point this season.

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Is It Worth It?

Something that will be important for the Knicks to look at is if this possible trade would even make a difference this season.

It’s no secret that the Knicks have underperformed so far this season, and a trade for Turner would definitely be an upgrade, but is it worth doing if it just results in another first-round exit?

Turner is an expiring contract after next season, so the Knicks would have some time to get some more pieces around him if they do make a trade. It’s definitely a tough decision to make, but if the Knicks think they can make a run this season, Turner will definitely be a player that could make a difference for the team. They’ll just have to hope he stays healthy because that’s something their centers haven’t been able to do this year.

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