Hoops Habit
Fansided

New York Knicks: 3 reasons not to trade for Jimmy Butler

By Kenneth Teape

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 12: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves has the ball against Lance Thomas #42 of the New York Knicks during the game on January 12, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 12: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves has the ball against Lance Thomas #42 of the New York Knicks during the game on January 12, 2018 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
New York Knicks
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images /

1. Stuck in no-man’s land

In the NBA, it doesn’t pay to be in the middle of the pack. You rarely have a chance to land a franchise player there, as you are at the end of the lottery, or just outside of it. While qualifying for the postseason is nice, there isn’t much benefit to getting blown out of the first round by a top-seeded team.

If the Knicks were to add Butler, they would be heading for no-man’s land. Given the state of the Eastern Conference, if the Knicks had a few things go their way, Butler could help sneak them into the postseason. If Porzingis were to return at any point this season, a playoff push would seem likely. However, that is not in the best interest of the organization.

Right now, the Knicks should be adding more assets. With Porzingis sidelined, they could find themselves with another shot at a top pick in June’s 2019 NBA Draft. That would give them another chance to add a foundational piece to go with Porzingis, Ntilikina, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson.

Adding another young player to that core sounds like a better idea than chasing a 6-8 seed with Butler. Why take pieces away from that core this season, when you could add Butler to that core as a free agent in 2019?

Those kinds of short-sighted moves are a big reason the Knicks are stuck in the position they are now. Past regimes have not put a premium on draft picks, killing whatever chances the Knicks had to build a foundation as they opted for quick fixes.

Next. NBA trade rumors - 10 potential Jimmy Butler landing spots. dark

With a foundation finally being put into place, it would be very shortsighted to trade some of those pieces for as risky of a piece as Butler is. Jimmy Buckets would be an upgrade in talent for the Knicks, but not enough of an upgrade that they would rise to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

Home/New York Knicks