Proposed Trade Lands Knicks $29 Million Point Guard

Getty Julius Randle and OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks.

After the Charlotte Hornets traded Terry Rozier to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick, rumors have suggested that the New York Knicks could be a landing spot for Lowry. The Hornets reportedly want to trade him, but it’s much more likely that New York adds Lowry on a buyout.

James Plowright of Sports Illustrated proposed a deal that sends Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes, and Ryan Arcidiacono for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 second-round pick. While very unlikely that the Knicks would make this trade, Plowright notes that Lowry is a long favorite of Tom Thibodeau.

“Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is known to be a long time admirer of Kyle Lowry and the Knicks are in need of another veteran point guard after trading Quickley. The question is, would they be willing to give up a young player with value in Grimes AND Fournier, who is useful salary filler in a potential larger Knicks trade to rent a back-up point guard for the rest of the season? I doubt it, but if New York can’t find any other deals they like this makes some sense and also gives them a future 2nd round pick.”

This would be a panic, last-second type of move for the Knicks. It frankly wouldn’t make any sense for them to make this deal unless they think that Lowry can control the second unit and do so at a level that warrants them spending nearly $30 million.

Knicks Kyle Lowry Buyout Interest

The 37-year-old has had an interesting season, perhaps the worst of his career. In his last four games, he’s logged at least 24 minutes and has scored 2, 2, 4, and 2 points.

It’s uncertain what type of interest the Knicks have in Lowry, if any. Mostly all of the potential interest is speculation due to Thibodeau being a fan of what he’s done in his career. Steve Popper of NewsDaySports wrote right after the trade that if the Knicks want him, it’d be via the buyout market.

“If Knicks wanted Lowry — and he fits their needs and probably still haunts them from last year’s postseason — it would likely have to be in a buyout market. I’m not a capologist, but matching salaries nearly impossible — Fournier ($18.8m) vs. Lowry ($29.7m).”

As Lowry’s past his prime days, a team could still use him. Contending teams make moves for veterans every season and this year won’t be any different. However, the salary makes this deal nearly impossible to make for the New York Knicks unless they get extremely desperate, which they rarely do.

Knicks Trade Candidates

Due to the uncertainty around trading for Lowry, it’s logical to find other potential players the Knicks will be interested in.

Of the available names, Malcolm Brogdon, Dejounte Murray, and others all are on the market for the Knicks to add. With the trade assets that the organization currently has, New York has a chance to add any of these players.

If they want to get a deal done, there’s no excuse for them this deadline.