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The New York Knicks had to dump a lot of salary to free up space for Jalen Brunson, and they did just that by shipping Alec Burks, Kemba Walker and Nerlens Noel to the Detroit Pistons.
In the end, they were able to steal away Jalen Brunson from the Dallas Mavericks and make him their starting point guard. Burks and Walker split time at the position as the Knicks failed to make the playoffs. Brunson is a big upgrade from those two, but there was obviously nowhere to go but up.
That doesn’t mean these players are completely devoid of value, and they might actually headline a package that would land the Pistons former MVP Russell Westbrook. There’s very little chance he’d suit up for Detroit, but they would be able to hypothetically snag a pick or two from the Los Angeles Lakers in the process.
Russell Westbrook Traded to Detroit?
An Eastern Conference executive speaking to Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney floats an idea that would get Westbrook out of Los Angeles, something that has frequently been talked about.
As it turns out, Westbrook’s massive $47 million salary is a tough one to move even though it’s expiring. The way for the Lakers to do it might be attaching assets, and that includes the coveted 2027 and 2029 first-rounders.
“I’d be willing to get involved if I were the Pistons, as one example,” said the executive. “I would want that 2027 pick unprotected, and take back Russell Westbrook and send you all my veterans, all my junk. Right now, Detroit is taking the approach of just waiting, playing with the guys they got from the Knicks, and trading during the season. That team needs to tank some more, they need (Victor) Wembanyama, or at least they need to be in the mix.”
Burks and Noel are players who the Pistons are planning on using in the rotation for this upcoming season, but if they want a chance to bottom out in what’s likely going to be another rough year, trading away any vets of value would be in their best interest. If that’s the path they take, then the former Knicks would come into play.
“So send back Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel and (Kelly) Olynyk and Kemba (Walker),” the exec continued. “The Lakers would be doing a 1-for-4 deal there, so they’d have to move guys around, they’d have to release someone. But if Noel is healthy, he is a perfect center for AD, and the rest of the guys, you have some tradeable contracts and you have some veterans you can use for depth. I’d consider it on both sides.”
Knicks Still Have Value
The Knicks may have shipped away many of their veterans, but they still have some pieces that could appeal to other teams if they were to ever get involved in a trade.
Not even counting the young assets like Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, the Knicks hold a pair of veterans that will almost certainly be dangled throughout the season in Evan Fournier and Julius Randle. Both players have big contracts, but neither of them looks like they are impossible to move.
Any team can use shooting, so Fournier will likely be a name that draws some interest even if he ultimately stays a Knick. Randle is an intriguing option as he’s also had some interested suitors, but he still remains in New York.
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