Getty Collin Sexton takes a shot over Elfrid Payton during a December 29 game against the New York Knicks.
As the New York Knicks battle the Atlanta Hawks in their first playoff series since 2013, some fans are looking to the offseason, already pondering how this team can improve.
With all of Immanuel Quickley, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin, RJ Barrett, and Tom Thibodeau in house, it’s clear that there’s a winning foundation in place. Just not the contending kind.
Among all avenues, it seems a trade is inevitable, with this offseason’s free agency market somewhat limited.
And point guard seems the likely target in regards to any roster upgrade, even with Derrick Rose reverting back to MVP form for this year’s playoffs.
As has been heavily reported, for what feels like the better half of a decade now, the New York Knicks are on disgruntled star watch. But as is the nature of the trend, it will remain unclear which top talent will be in search of a new home up until the moment it happens.
Yet while he may not be a star in his own right, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley suggests that a deal for point gaurd Collin Sexton could improve the Knicks.
New York Had Eyes on Sexton in 2018
Ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft, where Collin Sexton went eighth overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks had him in for a workout, and leading up to the draft, had him on their big board according to SNY’s Ian Begley:
Alas, they selected Kevin Knox ninth overall, and the rest is history.
Or rather, lack thereof, with the third-year wing yet to touch the court in the Knicks’ playoff series with the Atlanta Hawks.
Buckley’s Trade Proposal
In his latest for Bleacher Report, NBA Offseason Trade Ideas You’ve Probably Never Thought of, Buckley suggests that the New York Knicks trade both draft assets and young talent for Collin Sexton.
- New York receives: Collin Sexton
- Cleveland receives: Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox II, the 21st pick, and the 32nd pick
His justification? The Knicks’ bottom-five NBA offense this season, that scored just 107 points per game.
They need his scoring punch and secondary playmaking. They also should have enough touches to go around where Randle, Sexton, Barrett, Quickley and, assuming he returns in free agency, Derrick Rose aren’t stepping on one another’s shoes. Sexton, a career 38.5 percent three-point shooter, can log minutes on or off the ball, a skill he has honed as Darius Garland has come into his own.
Sexton is a premier scorer, that much is inarguable. He’s coming off of his second-straight season scoring over 20 points per game, and efficiently, too:
Collin Sexton just ranked as this season’s 18th-best scorer (one spot ahead of Randle) with a career-high 24.3 points per game. The scoring guard also paired that production with a personal-best 57.3 true shooting percentage.
But the question isn’t whether Sexton would be able to help provide a much-needed scoring punch, and rather if he can be the playmaker New York needs.
He improved in that regard this season, finishing the year with a career-high 4.4 assists per game average, but on a Cavaliers team far less talented.
Can Sexton provide playmaking in a starting five next to Julius Randle, who averaged six assists himself this year?
Better yet, would this kind of package interest the Cavaliers?
Obi Toppin hasn’t exactly shined in his rookie year, and Kevin Knox II is well outside head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation. The draft compensation is nice, of course, but wouldn’t there be better offers out there for a 20-per-night scorer?
This would all come under consideration in the event that the Knicks contemplated a trade for the point guard, and that is only if the Cleveland Cavaliers opt to move their starting point guard at all.
That being said, one NBA executive suggested they may, to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer:
An NBA executive suggested the Cavs could consider that because it’s a salary cap crusher to pay Allen and Sexton both long-term contracts over $100 million. This guy likes Sexton as a player, but not on a maximum contract.
For now, the New York Knicks will focus on their series with the Atlanta Hawks, as they walk into Game Four down 2-to-1.
Because how this series turns out could fully determine (and it should!) how invested the front office becomes in improving the roster this summer.
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