New York Knicks
FIRST MEGA TRADE ALERT (Okay, it’s not monumental, but it sure is fun to think ‘what if?’)
The NYK get: D’Angelo Russell
LA gets: Kyle O’Quinn, Jerian Grant
Before we go any farther, I must admit – Jerian Grant is one of my favorite players in the league, but I promise this trade idea is not too biased.
Let’s just say for argument’s sake that Russell is made available. What better place to send Russell to an offense that is fast paced and places a heavy emphasis on pick-and-roll? With Kristaps Porzingis (and hopefully Carmelo Anthony) going nowhere, New York may become Lob City 2.0. Russell stays in a big market with inherent pressure, but gets an opportunity to play with better talent.
Los Angeles on the other hand is in a deeper rebuild than New York (at least admitted rebuild). While it may hurt to lose the No. 2 overall pick from last year, the guaranteed future first rounders help offset that. Grant is capable of being a starting PG in the league, he just needs a coach that lets him play through mistakes (Enter Luke Walton).
O’Quinn is added in because Brandon Bass is most likely going to opt out of his current contract, and backup bigs with a midrange shot and can play solid defense are always nice to have.
Next: Toronto Raptors