The Knicks did not make Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina or any of their first-round picks available at Derrick Rose’s Super Bowl Sunday trade, according to The Post.
While Knox and Ntilikina are out of rotation, the Knicks are saving as many young assets as possible so they can have enough for a meaningful future deal.
The Knicks, as well as several other teams, are overseeing the situations of scooters Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo. The Knicks (11-15) see both players up close on a consecutive Friday / Saturday.
The Knicks face off on Friday at Beal’s Wizards (6-15) in DC and then on Saturday they present at Oladipo and the Rockets (11-13).
The Wizards superstar always seems on the verge of being put on the commercial market and league executives think it’s more a matter of when, not if.
“I finally think the magicians (will change it),” an NBA executive said. “They want to treat Beal well. I think Beal will be frustrated enough to ask for a trade and they will accommodate him. ”
A league executive also wonders if the Wizards will change Beal to an Eastern Conference team.
The player already available – and much less expensive – is Oladipo, the new Rockets star that Houston got in the blockbuster James Harden. Sources say they are likely to negotiate Oladipo, as this summer will be an unrestricted free agent.
If the Knicks took over Oladipo, it will show that Knicks GM Scott Perry still has a lot of strength in the organization. Perry drafted the Indiana University product in Orlando with selection number 2 on the 2013 draft.
“The Knicks were definitely sniffing around Victor when he was with the Pacers,” an NBA source said.
Knicks president Leon Rose is said to be not so tall in Oladipo’s future, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is still looking for updates to the list due to his problems, according to league sources .
The 6-4 shot averages 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He is still only 28 years old and has a tendency to undergo four-tendon knee surgery.
As it stands, Beal wants to stay in Washington and the magicians have no desire to move him. Beal, 27, will not become a free agent until 2023. The downside of Leon Rose’s Knicks is that he is cast by Mark Bartelstein, not by Creative Artists Agency.
If Beal is put on the block entering the March 25 negotiation deadline, the Knicks would be among the bidders.
Beal entered Wednesday’s Wizards game against the Raptors, averaging 33.3 points per game and 47 percent. Beal also averages 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
RJ Barrett, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, is part of the Knicks ’future, but he has yet to show enough to consolidate himself as a definitive All-Star future.
As much as Thibodeau likes his two-way play, scouts across the league are still worried about whether Barrett’s athletics is considered elite, not just his 3-point shot.
However, the Knicks prefer not to put Barrett in any Beal deal and consider that they have amassed enough futures.
Aside from the Knox and Ntilikina lottery selections, they potentially have two lottery selections in this year’s draft, in addition to Detroit’s beautiful second-round selection. This could be the 31st overall selection in a draft that is considered strong.
In addition, the Knicks have two first-round picks in 2023 and several second-round picks in 2023.
When the Knicks were doing their best before and after the draft in November, he had the mindset of picking up extra draft compensation to use in a blockbuster for a player like Beal.
If Washington hopes to change Beal this summer, the Knicks will have even more room to inherit their contract. Even now, the Knicks have $ 15 million in space after the Rose-for-Dennis Smith Jr. exchange. This makes a Beal / Oladipo trade easier to consummate due to limit math.
Now that veteran pointer Rose is on board and has already shown life in these 32-year-old legs, Thibodeau will want more.
The Knicks have made clear their winning mentality. Patience came out the window when former Knicks president Steve Mills was fired a year ago. Leon Rose was apparently hired to hire a winning coach, Thibodeau.
Thibodeau and senior vice president William Wesley, who led Rose to John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers, designed the Rose deal. Thibodeau downplayed it, saying he was presented with a handful of names, probably Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick among them.
With Derrick Rose achieving his desire to leave Detroit, Ball no longer makes sense. Redick, 36, looks like a side move with Alec Burks more versatile and younger in his place.
Sources confirm that Redick would prefer a trade to Nets or Knicks, as his family still lives in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn.
“I think Leon, Wes and Scott, are in constant communication with all the teams in the league,” Thibodeau said. “All this is part of this business. You talk about a number of possibilities, you look at it, the pros and cons, what could I add, but there are several players that were discussed. “
If Rose continues to excel as he did in Tuesday’s debut, the Knicks could consider moving Elfrid Payton and / or Austin Rivers to ease a logjam. Payton has increased its commercial value and generated some interest, according to sources. Rivers is out of rotation until an injury to Thibodeau’s new top 10 occurs.
“Austin has been around, he’s a veteran,” Thibodeau said. “She is OK. It is situational. Things usually work out. When they call him, I know he will be ready to start.
Rivers was also Beal’s 2018-19 teammate, who will once again have the opportunity to celebrate Knicks Friday.