The New York Knicks have the means to make a splash during the NBA trade season.The problem, however, is that this market may not offer a particularly promising trade candidate.
The Minnesota Timberwolves seem far too competitive to consider acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns. The Cleveland Cavaliers certainly continue to hope to follow Donovan Mitchell. Even the Toronto Raptors can’t guarantee that players like Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby will move.
So the Knicks may not have access to the Association’s top talent, but they could still see some value in acquiring one of the next three players between now and the Feb. 8 trade deadline.Bojan Bogdanović, Detroit Pistons New York’s offense has been good this season, but it still needs an upgrade if it wants to make the leap from good to great.Bojan Bogdanović could help fuel this rise.
A calf injury delayed his start to the season, but his 22-point debut suggests the ailment may already be behind him. The career 39.4% three-point shooter could do wonders for the Knicks’ spacing and would help diversify their overall offensive menu. The 6-foot-5 swingman can shoot over smaller defenders or beat bigger, slower defenders off the dribble.Even though his numbers were a little higher due to the rough prospects around him in the Pistons rebuild, it’s hard to look at his 2022-2023 stats and not be impressed.
Not only did he score a career-high 21.6 points per game, but he did so while posting flawless 48.8/41.1/88.4 shooting.DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls Depending on how the market moves, there’s a good chance that DeMar DeRozan will end up being the best offensive player before the trade deadline. The six-time All-Star’s numbers have dipped a bit, but he’s still aiming for 21.5 points and 4.9 assists (with just 1.2 turnovers) per night.
He also shows a greater willingness to shoot from long range and is more adept at shooting on the perimeter. His 0.9 triples per game are the second highest of his career and his 37.5 percent splash rate is his best to date.“He can be the third scorer on a winning team,” one NBA executive said of DeRozan, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I think he still has a little gas left in the tank.”If the Bulls pursue a long-overdue rebuild, DeRozan, an unrestricted free agent next summer, is an obvious candidate for a trade. Gordon Hayward, Charlotte HornetsIf the Knicks could take the financial hit of Gordon Hayward’s (thankfully expiring) $31.5 million salary per Spotrac, the scoring forward shouldn’t cost much in a real trade.The Hornets clearly aren’t going anywhere, so they may not have much motivation to retain him.
Fix its availability issues (52 games or fewer each of the last four seasons), and it’s hard to imagine Charlotte fielding offers involving any kind of major asset.But at the right trade price, he could really boost this offense.He does a little bit of everything when it comes to the more glamorous side of the game, allowing him to tailor his approach based on the talent around him. As a scorer and playmaker, he has enough to offer as a central player on short routes, but he can also complement higher players as an accurate shooter and timely finisher.
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