Recent New York Knicks rumors go back to the 2018 NBA Draft when the team engaged the Sacramento Kings in trade talks centered around De’Aaron Fox and Kristaps Porzingis.
New York Knicks rumors are going to be prevalent in a few weeks. The playoffs have not been a realistic outcome for New York for weeks, if not months, as it began prepping for this offseason a while ago.
This is an important offseason for the Knicks. They will have a top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, which will give them an opportunity to add another young player to their current foundation. Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr., Allonzo Trier and Damyean Dotson give fans some reason for optimism.
The biggest reason for optimism for Knicks fans, however, is the cap space. New York is armed with enough cap space to land two max-contract free agents this summer. Fans are dreaming of possibly landing two stars out of a free agent class that includes Kevin Durant, Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson.
The reason they have all that cap space? They traded their former franchise cornerstone, Kristaps Porzingis, to the Dallas Mavericks prior to this year’s NBA Trade Deadline.
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The Knicks used Porzingis as a sweetener to unload the contracts of Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee. In addition to the two shooting guards, Trey Burke was also traded to the Mavericks.
In return, New York received Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews and two future first round picks.
That return package was something that has been debated heavily and will continue to be debated for a long time. The intention of the Knicks’ front office was clear, as they are looking to strike it big in free agency.
Another thing that was questioned was why did they accept the Mavericks’ trade so quickly? Were there other trade proposals offered, or did the Knicks accept the first thing that was offered to them? If recent reports are to be believed, trading Porzingis is something they have been mulling for quite a while.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the Knicks were engaged in trade talks with the Sacramento Kings prior to the 2018 NBA Draft. Lowe reports that the Knicks centered a package around Porzingis with their eyes on point guard De’Aaron Fox.
Sacramento was given an opportunity to re-invent its team around Luka Doncic as the lottery played out in its favor once again. As a result, teams came calling about potentially acquiring Fox.
However, New York was looking for more than just Fox. It wanted more in the way of assets, or for the Kings to take back some of their unwanted salary, if not both. Lowe also adds that discussions were held between the two teams closer to the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline before the Mavs landed Porzingis.
Fox had a rough rookie season, averaging 11.6 points and 4.4 assists per game on 41.2 percent shooting and 30.7 percent from 3-point range. Based on his impressive second season, however, Sacramento looks to have made the right decision to commit to Fox and use the No. 2 overall pick on Duke’s Marvin Bagley III.
Fox has taken a big step forward in his sophomore season. He’s upped his averages to 17.6 points and 7.3 assists per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
Despite playing four more minutes per game and increasing his usage rate by 1.3 percent, Fox is turning the ball over only 0.5 times more per game. According to Basketball-Reference, Fox has also seen his offensive rating increase in his second season, while his defensive rating has also improved.
The Knicks were smart to check in on Fox and gauge the potential of trading for him. Point guard has been a black hole for the organization for what seems like forever. Fox would’ve filled that hole and at only 21 years old, could have kept it filled for a long time.