Trade Winds Blowing
A Saturday special, featuring a special report on New York's minor league club from Tom Piccolo.
Good morning, and happy Saturday! We’re delivering a special edition of the newsletter featuring some updated trade talk, plus a special report on the Westchester Knicks by Tom Piccolo, who attended their game last night.
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🗣 News & Notes ✍️
🏀 The evidence is starting to mount that the Knicks could - could - be on the verge of a monumental organizational change.
On the heels of Ian Begley’s initial report that “one team in touch with a member of the organization recently is under the impression that Julius Randle would be available for the right return,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the following on yesterday’s Hoop Collective Podcast:
“This has been reported elsewhere, but I've heard as well that the Knicks have shown some interest in De'Aaron Fox. The player that makes the most sense in that swap is Julius Randle…[trading him] alleviates a deteriorating issue in New York with Julius Randle, both his relationship with Thibs and his relationship with the fans.”
The latter part of that - about the deteriorating relationship with Tom Thibodeau - came as something of a shock to many. One of the criticisms of Thibs has been his seemingly overt favoritism towards Randle this season, playing him big minutes even when he hasn’t shown maximum effort or attention to detail.
But we also heard Marc Berman quote a source last week that who told him that Thibs “has admitted to associates he’s had more trouble getting Randle to play with a selflessness this season than during last season.” Is it far fetched to believe that part of the reason Randle has been such a curmudgeon this season is because he took offense to what he viewed as a working formula?
Randle himself was confronted yesterday with reports of the trade and tried to brush it off as unconfirmed gossip:
In addition to the reports, both Randle and Fox unfollowed their respective teams on Instagram in the last few days, so make of that what you will.
As I covered last week, Randle for Fox straight up doesn’t work under the cap, and additional salary would need to be sent Sacramento’s way. At the time, I was lukewarm on the idea that Sacramento would make such a trade without requiring draft compensation or a young player in return, but I’m starting to waver on that stance. It’s pretty clear at this point that the Kings were more than happy to send Fox to Philly for Ben Simmons, and it’s possible that they’ve internally decided it might be best for the organization to move on from him.
It also shouldn’t be ignored that Fox hasn’t played since January 19 with an ankle injury that may or may not be legit. Asked before Wednesday’s Nets game about the injury, Fox told reporters that an MRI showed no signs of structural damage, but that he still feels discomfort when cutting and making lateral movements, but that “it’s getting better…I want to come back as close to 100% as I can.” This is especially interesting given that Fox wasn’t even listed on the injury report in the first game he missed, and that interim coach Alvin Gentry later described the injury as “ankle soreness.” Gentry said at the time that the injury was “no big deal” and Fox would play “if this was a playoff series or something.”
Is it possible Fox is perfectly fine but is sitting out in anticipation of a possible trade? Like some of the Randle stuff, we can only guess.
My two cents on this: while the prospect of a Randle trade always made more sense in the offseason because so many more options would potentially be on the table, there’s a possibility the Knicks think that Fox is the best return they’re going to get, even if they wait. Then it just comes down to whether they feel like they need to move off a player who seemed like a cornerstone piece not long ago.
We’ll find out in 5 days, if not sooner.
🏀 Trade season officially got kicked off yesterday when the Clippers dealt the quasi-expiring contract of Eric Bledsoe1 plus Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and Detroit’s 2025 second-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington.
From a Knicks’ perspective, it’s notable that Portland got so little in exchange for two useful if imperfect players. On a per-36 minute basis, other than a couple more points, Powell’s stats are nearly identical to Evan Fournier’s with almost the exact same efficiency. He’s also signed to two additional fully guaranteed years at the exact same annual value ($18 million). Powell gives you a bit more creation juice and is the more desirable player, but these are not terribly dissimilar assets.
Throw in Covington, whose value is probably a tic higher than Alec Burks at the moment, and it’s fair to wonder whether the best the Knicks will be able to do at the deadline is attach Fournier to Burks effectively as a salary dump.
Not that there’s too many options left for such a deal because of the lack of large expiring salaries out there. I mentioned Gary Harris on Friday, but again, I’m not sure why Orlando would be interested in reuniting with Fournier. The other option is Ricky Rubio in Cleveland, who I noted as a possible target in a Kemba trade along with Burks, but Fournier plus Burks or Walker would work too…if the Cavs send back additional salary.
Whose salary would make such a deal work under the cap? None other than rumored summer trade target Collin Sexton, who is out for the year with a torn meniscus. The Cavs would certainly want something else back in the deal, and it’s unclear what, if anything, the Knicks would be willing to pay to both offload Fournier’s pact and attain the restricted free agency matching rights on Sexton, who the Cavs may want to retain themselves.
🏀 Finally, Carmelo Anthony will miss tonight’s matchup against his former team with a bad hammy, while LeBron James is being listed as doubtful after missing the last five with knee issues. Knicks Lakers tips off at 8:30 on ABC.
What’s Up in Westchester?
by Tom Piccolo
The Westchester Knicks of Bridgeport, Connecticut fell at “home” to the Windy City Bulls 107-90 on Friday evening, behind what was inarguably the team's worst shooting performance of the season. On a night when wintery conditions delayed tip-off by an hour, the Westchester Knicks’ cold shooting made the weather outside seem downright balmy, finishing with a season-low in three point percentage (8-of-35 for 22.9%). But, it was the team’s futility from inside the arc that stood out from the start.
At the end of the first half, the Westchester Knicks were down 46-34, having shot 5-of-20 from inside the paint. Many of those shots were contested by Windy City Bulls center Marko Simonovic, a stretch big who dominated the interior all evening, ending with 24 points and 22 rebounds in just 29 minutes.2
Despite his monster line, Simonovic wasn’t even the player who hurt Westchester the most. That distinction belonged to 6’4 combo guard Kerwin Roach who finished with 22 points on 8-13 shooting. The Westchester Knicks had no answers for Roach as he pulled-up for jumpers and craftily converted around the basket:
The dude looked smooth with the ball, but it was his length and athleticism on the defensive end that caused the Westchester Knicks problems. Roach was in ball-handlers’ jerseys all evening long, tallying three steals including this pick-six:
Before the contest, Westchester Knicks Head Coach Derrick Alston spoke to Knicks Film School and identified this area as a key to the game, saying:
“We’ve really got to take care of the ball. They turn you over a lot. They’re a really long and athletic team. They try and get you to turn it over so they can push the pace and score in transition. They score a lot in transition…Sometimes we can get a little loose with the ball. I think if we take care of that aspect of the game, we should be OK.”
As he predicted, turnovers certainly played a major role, particularly in the first half when the Westchester Knicks were outscored 11-2 in points off turnovers:
And, frankly, that level of defensive effort was surprising because the away team had every excuse to come out sluggishly. The Windy City Bulls were on the second night of a back-to-back, and had had the travel day from hell. Their flight from Toronto was delayed multiple times due to inclement weather before finally touching down at LaGuardia. Their arrival was so late that tip-off had to be delayed, and the Bulls still had to come to the arena directly from the airport without stopping first at their hotel. That didn’t dampen their effort though. Even in the fourth quarter, they were still hustling. Windy City Bulls reserve Henri Drell may have had the play of the game in the final period with this steal and poster dunk:
In Westchester’s defense, it’s fair to point to a lack of continuity and cohesion for this group. Coach Alston noted before the game that between COVID, call-ups and injuries, it’s been rare for this team to have a roster of 10 players. He called out, “(J)ust getting everybody used to playing with each other again,” as a goal for the team.
It was clear Westchester was missing the presence and shotmaking of Deuce McBride (more on him below). The home team was led in scoring by front court starters Dewan Hernandez and Aamir Simms who finished with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Here, Simms showed the range on a pick-and-pop three:
Former NBA rotation player Allen Crabbe chipped in with 14 points off the bench.
The Deuce is Loose
Here’s what head coach Derrick Alston had to say about what he’s seen from Deuce during his Westchester stints
Deuce brings a tenacity. Even though he’s been scoring a lot and that’s what catches headlines, but his defense (is) his calling card. He’s been great for us setting that tone defensively with his ball-pressure, fighting over pick-and-rolls and I think it’s contagious because the guys pick up on it and they start playing harder. Of course, he’s been scoring which has been awesome for us but he’s been doing those little things and doing what actually got him into the league: being a defensive guy, distributing and getting everybody involved.
The Westchester Knicks have a shot at redemption on Sunday as they face the Windy City Bulls team again in a rematch.
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That’s it for today! If you enjoy this newsletter and like the Mets, don’t forget to subscribe to JB’s Metropolitan, or his new hockey newsletter, Isles Fix. See y’all soon! #BlackLivesMatter
Only $3.9 million of his $19.3 million salary next season is guaranteed.
I couldn’t help but think how the 6’11 center from Montenegro nicely fit the prototype of the kind of center the New York Knicks could use.
Have seen the Westchester (Bridgeport) Knicks in person, when Luka Samanic, played. They lost, but Luca was impressive even playing on a bum ankle. Outside, Luka, Jericho and Deuce when he plays with them, the other players are Generic G League Players. They play hard but not ready for NBA.
First thank you for the Saturday newsletter. It was a nice surprise and also it’s a very interesting. However, I think it is wishful thinking that the Knicks could get a player as promising as Fox. Randle’s regression is bad enough but it is his rotten demeanor that stands out and I’m sure other teams are noticing Randle’s dispirited play. Nice dream though. . . . . .