Knicks’ Rising-Star Target ‘Likely’ to Hit NBA Trade Block

The New York Knicks may have failed to strike a deal for highly-coveted guard Donovan Mitchell, as he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on September 1, but this is not to say that the franchise can’t still make a major splash at some point during the 2022-23 league year.

Considering the plethora of young assets and the treasure trove of draft capital the front office cultivated seemingly to execute a blockbuster for the perennial All-Star, now with that venture dashed Leon Rose and company may wish to focus their attention on exchanging said luxuries for another high-quality player found floating around on the trade market.

As of late, OKC Thunder rising star combo guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been found linked as being a realistic target for the Knicks this season, with people like Marc Berman of the New York Post claiming him to be a better fit for the team’s backcourt rotation than even Mitchell would have been.

Now, while there are no credible reports currently out that say the 24-year-old is even available, the folks at Bleacher Report seem to be rather confident that Gilgeous-Alexander will be shopped at some point during this upcoming season, as writer Greg Swartz included him on his list of players he believes are most likely to hit the trade block in 2022-23.

“All eyes will be on Gilgeous-Alexander this season, as the dynamic young point guard will once again be the leader of a team that could win less than 30 games for the third year in a row. The New York Post’s Marc Berman already mentioned Gilgeous-Alexander as a possible trade target to pivot to following the failed Donovan Mitchell pursuit,” Swartz wrote in a September 7 article.

Entering his fifth season in the association, Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself as one of the best players under the age of 25 and boasts impressive per-game averages of 18.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.3 boards.

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Landing SGA ‘Better Outcome’ Than Mitchell

Marc Berman and Greg Swartz are certainly not the only pundits out there who have been found discussing the idea of the New York Knicks pursuing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at some point this season.

In fact, on a September 1 episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” host Bill Simmons speculated with fellow cohort Ryen Russillo of The Ringer that, considering Oklahoma City’s desire to tank, the rising-star guard could realistically end up being shopped in the near future and, should this happen, he could wind up being a better target for the Knickerbockers than Mitchell was.

“Are we sure you can’t get SGA from OKC,” Simmons asked. “Are we sure like the 80% of the haul for Mitchell — SGA would cost somewhere probably a little more than Dejounte Murray and less than Mitchell, somewhere in there.

“If I’m the Knicks, is that a better outcome if I can keep RJ Barrett and add SGA and I can throw some unprotected picks in there and [Quentin] Grimes and whoever and if I’m OKC, how many years in a row can you tell SGA like, ‘Hey man, it’s not gonna be this year.’”

Simmons would later state that Gilgeous-Alexander has been “available before,” according to his sources.

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Knicks Wing a ‘Likely’ Trade Candidate

Also found on Swartz’s list of players he believes are most likely to be shopped during this upcoming season is Knicks wing, Evan Fournier.

Signed last offseason to a four-year, $73 million deal, the 29-year-old failed to live up to the high expectations that came with such a lofty contract.

He played so poorly, in fact, that when removing him and fellow top-billed 2021 free agency acquisition Kemba Walker from all lineups last season, New York’s net rating jumped from minus-0.1 (50th percentile) to plus-5.3 (80th percentile).

Now, heading into year two under contract, Swartz is of the belief that the Knicks could wind up trying to cut ties with the France-native.

“The Knicks overpaid for Fournier last season and still owe him $36.9 million over the next two years. His 14.1 points per game and 38.9 percent mark from three didn’t make up for Fournier’s poor defense, leading to a career-worst swing rating of minus-6.7,” Swartz wrote. “New York should see what it would take to get off Fournier’s deal and start a player like Quentin Grimes in his place. Outside shooting will always be in demand, so the Knicks may be able to find a buyer.”

As Swartz mentioned, trading away Evan Fournier would give someone like Quentin Grimes the opportunity to see an increased role during his sophomore campaign, which is a concept some analysts have already been quite vocal about.

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