New York Knicks: 3 positives to pursuing D’Angelo Russell trade

2. Fits the rebuild timeline

No matter what the New York Knicks decide to do between now and the NBA Trade Deadline on the afternoon of February 6th, one thing is clear; they are still a long way away from being contenders and are in the rebuilding stage.

As we’ve seen with other rebuilds, there is some luck involved. Draft picks are of the utmost importance to building a sustained winner and New York has some going forward.

New York has some intriguing young pieces in Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. Ignas Brazdeikis, Damyean Dotson, Allonzo Trier and Kenny Wooten are also worth mentioning. Add in Russell’s former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Julius Randle, and there is some talent there.

The thing all of those players and D’Angelo Russell have in common? They are all 25 years of age or younger. Acquiring Russell, who is already locked into a long-term deal, would help the Knicks figure out who their core is going forward.

Some of the players mentioned would most likely have to get sent back to Golden State in a package to receive Russell. However, to acquire talent, you need to surrender some. Outside of Barrett and Robinson, virtually everyone else should be on the table in negotiations.