Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Knicks Rumors

Grade the Trade: Knicks can spark defense with champion reunion

by Josh Cornelissen
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The New York Knicks don’t have a lot of championship pedigree. That is true of the franchise, with the last NBA title coming back in 1973 with Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, and head coach Red Holzman. It’s also true of the roster, where a largely homegrown team of players doesn’t have an NBA title among them.

Head coach Tom Thibodeau won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008 as an assistant coach, but there is something different about having championship pedigree among the players. They can speak to the grind to make it that far, the determination, the singular focus on reaching the goal.

The New York Knicks could use some championship pedigree on the roster

As the New York Knicks begin to build towards that ultimate goal, perhaps making some big-time trades along the way to add a star or buff up the supporting cast, one way to help the roster would be to add players with that level of experience. Perhaps that does mean finding veterans who have won an NBA title before.

It could also mean bringing in players who have won a college championship, too. Jalen Brunson can actually speak to that, having won two titles at Villanova. Could the Knicks benefit from bringing in a former teammate of Brunson’s at Villanova, who can bring some defense, rebounding, and a sprinkle of championship pedigree to this team?

Next: Laying out the trade

<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Knicks Get</div> <div class="info">Josh Hart</div> <div class="info">Justice Winslow</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/grade-trade-knicks-spark-defense-champion-reunion-hart/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Ftrailblazers.png">
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Trail Blazers Get</div> <div class="info">Isaiah Hartenstein</div> <div class="info">Cam Reddish</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>Josh Hart has an interesting contract structure. He has a player option for next season that he can exercise for $12.96 million. If he does, the salary is non-guaranteed and the team he is on can choose to waive him. That makes it likely he will choose to opt-out and sign a new contract, with Portland or with a new team. That has made him available heading into Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline.</p> <p>The Trail Blazers have been looking for another big on the trade market, potentially because they want to move on from Jusuf Nurkic or at the least reduce his role on the team. Isaiah Hartenstein is one of the best backup bigs in the league and combines defense with playmaking that would be useful in the Blazers’ system. Cam Reddish would give them some verve on the wing as they look to build out the frontcourt around Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons.</p> <div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #007BC1" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/grade-trade-knicks-spark-defense-champion-reunion-hart/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Does this work for the Knicks? </a> </div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_138971" class="wp-caption alignnone"> <img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-138971" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/grade-trade-knicks-spark-defense-champion-reunion-hart/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2018%2F08%2F1245107155.jpeg" alt="New York Knicks" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1245107155.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2018/08/1245107155-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Josh Hart, Portland Trail Blazers. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) – New York Knicks</p> </div> <h2>Does this trade work for the Knicks?</h2> <p>The most important part of the deal is Josh Hart, who won an NCAA championship in 2016 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. He has been a key piece of multiple trades already in his career, but what he has proven in LA, New Orleans, and Portland is that he always competes, he doesn’t let his size (6’5″) stop him from playing big, and he is the exact kind of piece a team would want when they are trying to win in the playoffs.</p> <p>There are a few questions that come up, however. The first is his contract situation; is he comfortable making a hair under $13 million this summer, or will he want to test the market for more? How much are the Knicks willing to part with in a trade for a rental, and how much are they willing to pay to retain him this summer?</p> <p>The other issue is shooting. The Knicks need to continue to prioritize shooting as they build around RJ Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle. Hart is shooting just 29.6 percent from three-point range and is taking only 2.2 attempts per game, both dangerously low for a modern NBA wing. Does his defensive impact, rebounding, and intelligent play make up for that? Probably, but only with the right players around him.</p> <p>Hart can absolutely help the Knicks, and Justice Winslow can fill in spot minutes at the 5 behind Mitchell Robinson (and Winslow won a title in college too!). Thibs would love both players. This is a deal worth making, but the Knicks need to realize Hart may not stick around this summer.</p> <p><strong>Grade: B+</strong></p> <div class="embed "> <blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="oFUH7FcJqI"><p><a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/grade-trade-knicks-spark-defense-champion-reunion-hart/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/04/knicks-contender-deadline-trade-og-anunoby/">Would Knicks be a contender after this deadline trade for OG Anunoby?</a></p></blockquote> <p><iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" style="position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/08/grade-trade-knicks-spark-defense-champion-reunion-hart/"https://dailyknicks.com/2023/02/04/knicks-contender-deadline-trade-og-anunoby/embed/#?secret=oFUH7FcJqI" data-secret="oFUH7FcJqI" width="500" height="282" title="“Would Knicks be a contender after this deadline trade for OG Anunoby?” — Daily Knicks" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p></div><!—pageview_candidate—>">