NBA Trade Rumors: In an attempt to trade Evan Fournier, the New York Knicks are willing to attach an asset to his contract.
The season has not gone as expected thus far for the New York Knicks. And that could lead to some roster restructuring at the NBA Trade Deadline. In fact, at this point, the expectation is that the Knicks should make a move at some point over the next couple of months.
Of the players on their roster, considering everything that has been reported recently, the most likely players to be traded are Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, and Cam Reddish. These are players that simply don’t fit at the moment and it wouldn’t make much sense for New York to keep them on the roster beyond this year’s trade deadline.
But one other player that the Knicks could also be open to moving is Evan Fournier. And according to a recent report, the team may be willing to include an asset to get out from under the final two years of his contract after this season.
But it may not be the asset you’re thinking of. The Knicks aren’t prepared to include one of their premier assets (a future first-round pick) to part ways with Fournier. Instead, they’re willing to staple Reddish or Quickley to move Fournier. It’s a sign that the Knicks aren’t that desperate to move Fournier at this year’s deadline.
The New York Knicks may not be desperate to trade Evan Fournier
It’s no surprise that the Knicks may not be desperate to trade Fournier. After all, the Knicks will have cap flexibility during the offseason either way. Plus, if they want to acquire a star player, they will need some big money contracts to match the salary.
New York is unlikely to move Jalen Brunson or RJ Barrett in those scenarios. That leaves Julius Randle and Fournier as contracts that they could use in a hypothetical blockbuster deal. So having him on the roster isn’t the worst thing in the world, which is why they’re not willing to include a future first-round draft pick to part ways with him.
If the Knicks can move Fournier while attaching Quickley or Reddish, that makes sense for the team. Those are two players that the Knicks are likely to move either way at the trade deadline. And if they could, per se, kill two birds with one stone, the Knicks would absolutely be open to it.
I’m not really sure what the Knicks will ultimately do at the NBA Trade Deadline but they’re a team that will likely make a move or two. Even if they are much smaller deals compared to the landscape of the league.