New York Knicks: 3 reasons not to trade for Jimmy Butler
3. Cost
Whenever a big-named player hits the trade market, the cost is something that always has to be considered. For a team in the position of the Knicks, trading away future assets is not a great course of action. To land Butler, future assets would have to be surrendered.
A recent Bleacher Report article provides a good starting spot for a deal. Courtney Lee and Frank Ntilikina would be the starting point. The Knicks should be hesitant once Ntilikina is mentioned. Future assets would most likely be asked for as well, at which point, New York should hang up the phone.
Yes, landing Butler would give the Knicks a leg-up for the summer of 2019 when they hope to be players in free agency. However, Lee is an attractive enough of a piece that the Knicks can unload him without adding assets such as Ntilikina and picks.
Trading away their 2017 first round pick and a future first round pick is not how a rebuilding team should be conducting business. With a new head coach in place, the Knicks should see how pieces look for at least one season before deciding if they are a long-term fit for the organization.
President of basketball operations Steve Mills recently said the team will not trade first round picks, something past regimes have been guilty of doing.
Asked by about past Knicks mistakes that the organization will avoid in the future, president Steve Mills says, “We’re not going to trade any of our (1st round) draft picks.” Mills adds that they aren’t going to trade assets for a player that they can sign in free agency.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 18, 2018
Hopefully, Mills and Scott Perry stick to that and do not unload any draft picks for Butler. Stockpiling picks and assets should be the plan for New York, not unloading them. Butler has not proven to be someone capable of carrying a team to playoff success, so trading assets and handing out a max contract is a lot to ask for.