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New York Knicks: A trade for Victor Oladipo

By Orestis Rantis

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers attempts to push past Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks during the second half of the game against at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Brian Munoz/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Victor Oladipo #4 of the Indiana Pacers attempts to push past Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks during the second half of the game against at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. 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 Brian Munoz/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
New York Knicks Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

The trade

So what exactly would a Victor Oladipo trade package look like for the New York Knicks? Even though his value is still pretty high, including young prospect RJ Barrett in the trade talks would be absurd.

Other than that, the Knicks possess plenty of young players they could throw into the mix, as well as some very talented veterans. Last but not least, their wide variety of draft picks could be used to sweeten the pot even more.

That being said, it is also pretty obvious that the Indiana Pacers would not be very interested in either one of Mitchell Robinson or Julius Randle. Their frontcourt duo of Sabonis and Turner has certainly proved its worth and it would be silly to risk that balance.

The harsh reality is that, Oladipo cannot fetch a superstar back for the Pacers. What the Knicks could do, is ship enough pieces to create an even deeper Indiana roster.

Dennis Smith Jr. and Kevin Knox have both shown some very promising bright spots in these first few years in their respective careers. With the right coaching and management, they could grow into some very dependable starters, to say the least.

The addition of Wayne Ellington could be a rather underrated aspect of this trade. The Pacers have made a name for themselves during these past seasons, for constantly being one of the league’s top 3-point shooting team. So take that, and add a really good shooter in Ellington.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1232827592161538048?s=20

Last but not least, New York’s 1st round pick in 2021 could be used to further persuade Indy to go through with this deal. Even though the Knicks are–slowly–improving and are no longer a clear-cut embarrassment, this is set to be either a lottery or a lottery-adjacent draft pick.

Whether the Knicks will go ahead and reach out to the Pacers remains a mystery. Heck, even wether they should is still up for debate. Regardless of that, if they were to target a star, Victor Oladipo might be the way to go.

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