The Knicks have not made Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina or any of their first round picks available in the Derrick Rose trade in Super Bowl Sunday, The Post has learned.
Even though Knox and Ntilikina are out of rotation, the Knicks are saving as many young assets as possible so that they have enough for a future major deal.
The Knicks – as well as several other teams – follow the situations of firing guards Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo. The Knicks (11-15) take a close look at both players in a Friday / Saturday back-to-back.
The Knicks will face Beal’s Wizards (6-15) in DC on Friday, after which they will receive Oladipo and the Rockets (11-13) on Saturday.
The Wizards superstar always seems to be one step away from being put on the trading bloc, and league executives think it’s more a matter of when, not or.
“Ultimately, I think the Wizards will (trade) him,” said one NBA manager. ‘They want to treat Beal well. I think Beal will get frustrated enough to ask for a trade and they will accommodate him. “
A league executive also questions whether the Wizards would trade Beal for an Eastern Conference team.
The player already available – and much less expensive – is Oladipo, the new Rockets star who got Houston in the James Harden blockbuster. Sources claim they are able to trade Oladipo as he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
If the Knicks seized Oladipo, it will show that Knicks GM Scott Perry still has a lot of power in the organization. Perry lined up the product from the University of Indiana at Orlando with the second choice in the 2013 design.
“The Knicks were definitely snooping around Victor when he was with the Pacers,” said an NBA source.
Knicks president Leon Rose is said to be not that high in Oladipo’s future, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is still looking for roster upgrades due to their scoring woes, league sources confirm.
The 6-4 shooting guard averaged 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He’s only 28 and trending toward his quad tendon knee surgery.
As it stands now, Beal wants to stay in Washington and the Wizards don’t want to move him. Beal, 27, won’t become a free agent until 2023. The downside to Leon Rose’s Knicks is that he’s represented by Mark Bartelstein – not Creative Artists Agency.
If Beal is put on the block and goes into the March 25 trading deadline, the Knicks would be among the bidders.
Beal competed in the Wizards’ Wednesday game against the Raptors with an average of 33.3 points per game and a shot of 47 percent. Beal has also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
RJ Barrett, the # 3 pick in the 2019 design, is part of the future of the Knicks, but still hasn’t shown enough to confirm himself as a definitive future All-Star.
As much as Thibodeau loves his two-way game, scouts in the league are still concerned about whether Barrett’s athleticism is considered elite – not just his 3-point shooting.
However, the Knicks prefer not to put Barrett into a Beal deal and feel they have stocked up on enough futures.
Aside from Knox and Ntilikina lottery picks, they may have two lottery picks in this year’s draw, plus Detroit’s costly second round. That could potentially be the 31st pick in a design considered strong.
In addition, the Knicks have two first round picks in 2023 and multiple 2023 second round picks.
When the Knicks were doing all their business before and after the November draw, it was with the thought of collecting additional drawing fee to use in a blockbuster for a player like Beal.
If Washington waits to trade Beal this summer, the Knicks will have even more cap space to inherit his contract. Even now, the Knicks have $ 15 million in room after the Rose-for-Dennis Smith Jr .. That makes a Beal / Oladipo trade easier to complete because of cap math.
With veteran point guard Rose on board and showing all the life in those 32-year-old legs, Thibodeau will want more.
The Knicks have made their win-now mentality clear. Patience faded when former Knicks president Steve Mills was impeached a year ago. Leon Rose was ostensibly hired to hire a winning coach, Thibodeau.
Thibodeau and senior VP William Wesley, who sent Rose to John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers, came up with the Rose deal. Thibodeau downplayed it, saying he was offered a handful of names – likely among them Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick.
With Derrick Rose getting his wish to leave Detroit, Ball has no use anymore. The 36-year-old Redick seems a sideways move with the more versatile and younger Alec Burks in place.
Sources confirm that Redick prefers an exchange to the Nets of Knicks as his family still lives in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn.
“I think Leon and Wes and Scott are in constant contact with all the teams in the league,” said Thibodeau. ‘That’s all part of this case. You talk about a number of possibilities, you look at it, the pros and cons, what it could add, but a number of players have been discussed. “
If Rose continues to excel as he did in Tuesday’s debut, the Knicks may consider relocating Elfrid Payton and / or Austin Rivers to ease a logging outage. Payton has increased its trading value and sparked some interest, sources say. Rivers is out of rotation until there is an injury in Thibodeau’s new top 10.
“Austin is already here, he’s a veteran,” said Thibodeau. He stays ready. He is situational. Usually it will be fine. When called up, I know he will be ready to go. “
Rivers was also a 2018/19 teammate of Beal, who will have another chance to feast on Knicks Friday.