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Austin Rivers, New York Knicks (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Trade SZN is in full swing! Ever since the Derrick Rose acquisition, Austin Rivers has joined Coach Thibodeau’s Island of Misfit Toys and has been completely phased out of the New York Knicks‘ rotation.
Austin Rivers had his fair share of moments off of the Knicks’ bench this year but has been far too inconsistent to remain a key cog in New York’s machine.
Some of those moments include a 15 point performance against Indiana where he shot 3 for 6 from deep in a huge Knicks win and a blistering 23 point performance off the bench in a huge win against the NBA’s best team, Utah Jazz.
I’m personally a huge fan of Austin Rivers, as he’s a true student of the game, and while he doesn’t possess the elite skills you need to compete at a very high level in the league, he makes due off his basketball IQ and will to win.
His competitive spirit is unmatched and I would hate to see him go but I also want the Knicks to get better and he could be a very valuable trade chip for Leon Rose and co.
The Knicks need a few things in order to achieve that: shooting, a better facilitating point guard, and a better wing than Reggie Bullock or Alec Burks.
Keeping Rivers around as a filler on the bench that can come in and back up for either Rose or Quickley if either were to go down is a valuable piece to have, but I think his days in New York might be numbered.
We know how valuable and special the Knicks’ second-unit has been lately and if either of the two guards were to go down, it wouldn’t be pretty.
Should the Knicks pursue a trade for currently-benched Austin Rivers?
In this article, I’m going to switch it up a bit from my normal trade pieces where instead of just finding three different trades, I’m going to explore three levels of trades instead.
What I mean is that I’m going to explore a minor move where the trade will add value to the team but the player(s) the Knicks get in return probably won’t have a much more significant impact over Rivers.
The second one will be a trade where the Knicks receive a key rotational piece in exchange for Rivers and other assets.
Lastly, Austin Rivers will be just a small throw-in piece as a part of a much larger deal.
Here goes nothing…
the Derrick Rose acquisition</a>, Austin Rivers has joined Coach Thibodeau’s Island of Misfit Toys and has been completely phased out of the <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://dailyknicks.com/">New York Knicks</a>‘ rotation.</p>
<p>Austin Rivers had his fair share of moments off of the Knicks’ bench this year but has been far too inconsistent to remain a key cog in New York’s machine.</p>
<p>Some of those moments include a 15 point performance against Indiana where he shot 3 for 6 from deep in a huge Knicks win and a blistering 23 point performance off the bench in a huge win against the NBA’s best team, Utah Jazz.</p>
<p>I’m personally a huge fan of Austin Rivers, as he’s a true student of the game, and while he doesn’t possess the elite skills you need to compete at a very high level in the league, he makes due off his basketball IQ and will to win.</p>
<p>His competitive spirit is unmatched and I would hate to see him go but I also want the Knicks to get better and he could be a very valuable trade chip for Leon Rose and co.</p>
<p>The Knicks need a few things in order to achieve that: shooting, a better facilitating point guard, and a better wing than Reggie Bullock or Alec Burks.</p>
<p>Keeping Rivers around as a filler on the bench that can come in and back up for either Rose or Quickley if either were to go down is a valuable piece to have, but I think his days in New York might be numbered.</p>
<p>We know how valuable and special the <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/14/knicks-second-unit-a-way-too-early-love-song/">Knicks’ second-unit</a> has been lately and if either of the two guards were to go down, it wouldn’t be pretty.</p>
<h2>Should the Knicks pursue a trade for currently-benched Austin Rivers?</h2>
<p>In this article, I’m going to switch it up a bit from my normal trade pieces where instead of just finding three different trades, I’m going to explore three levels of trades instead.</p>
<p>What I mean is that I’m going to explore a minor move where the trade will add value to the team but the player(s) the Knicks get in return probably won’t have a much more significant impact over Rivers.</p>
<p>The second one will be a trade where the Knicks receive a key rotational piece in exchange for Rivers and other assets.</p>
<p>Lastly, Austin Rivers will be just a small throw-in piece as a part of a much larger deal.</p>
<p>Here goes nothing…</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/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A trade with The Sixers </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-115589" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1297830142.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1297830142.jpeg 3200w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1297830142-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Matisse Thybulle, Knicks (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Trade" data-team-ids="[27,93]" data-team-gets='[["Matisse Thybulle"],["Austin Rivers","2022 2nd round pick"]]'> <div class="playertrade remove-native-227"> <div class="trade"> <div class="team a"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fknicks.png">
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">Knicks Get</div> <div class="info">Matisse Thybulle</div> </div> </div> <div class="separator"></div> <div class="team b"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2F76ers.png">
<div class="details"> <div class="team-name">76ers Get</div> <div class="info">Austin Rivers</div> <div class="info">2022 2nd round pick</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>
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<h2>Matisse Thybulle for Austin Rivers makes sense for the Knicks.</h2>
<p>Austin Rivers playing for his pops yet again?!</p>
<p>The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the two teams that showed heavy interest in bringing in Austin Rivers. The Knicks being the second.</p>
<p>Apparently, Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers’ father and coach of the 76ers, convinced his son to <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://nypost.com/2020/12/05/doc-rivers-pushed-son-austin-away-from-76ers-to-knicks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go to New York instead of Philadelphia</a> as he would likely get a better chance for playing time and also due to his tremendous relationship with former Boston Celtics assistant, Tom Thibodeau.</p>
<p>Matisse Thybulle is a defensive-minded wing that has shown he is capable of hitting the 3-ball. Precisely what the Knicks need today.</p>
<p>Thybulle is struggling mightily this season and I believe that has a lot to do with the coaching change.</p>
<p>Under former 76ers coach, Brett Brown, Matisse Thybulle was objectively better. While none of his numbers really stand out too much, he did shoot around league average from long-range on 2.4 attempts.</p>
<p>Thybulle is certainly a work in progress, and with the new developmental staff the Knicks have, I believe he could be a very valuable piece to acquire.</p>
<p>This season, <a href=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/t/thybuma01.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" ref="nofollow">his numbers, most notably his 3-point shooting percentages are down</a>. This is what makes me believe he can be had for little to nothing as the 76ers are clearly competing at a high level and could use a player like Austin Rivers who has playoff experience in his place.</p>
<p>Thybulle would bring a defensive intensity that not many Knicks players currently have in their arsenal and fits the timeline of the Knicks’ roster much better than he does with Philadelphia.</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/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> A trade with The Bulls </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-115590" src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fdailyknicks.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1211550314.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1211550314.jpeg 1600w, https://dailyknicks.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1211550314-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Otto Porter Jr, Knicks (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)</p>
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<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="Trade" data-team-ids="[27,24]" data-team-gets='[["Otto Porter Jr","Luke Kornet"],["Austin Rivers","Reggie Bullock","Elfrid Payton","2022 2nd round pick"]]'> <div class="playertrade remove-native-227"> <div class="trade"> <div class="team a"> <div class="logo"><img src=https://dailyknicks.com/2021/02/25/knicks-3-trades-austin-rivers/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/w_75,h_75,c_fill,g_auto,f_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.fansided.com%2Flogos%2Fnba%2Fknicks.png">
