The Knicks did not make Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina or one of their first rounds available in the Derrick Rose trade of Super Bowl Sunday, The Post has learned.
Although Knox and Ntilikina do not plan to save, the Knicks are saving as many young assets as possible so they can have enough for a future significant deal.
The Knicks – as well as several other teams – are monitoring the situation of shooters Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo. The Knicks (11-15) look at both players from closer to Friday / Saturday.
The Knicks take on Beal’s Wizards (6-15) in DC on Friday, followed by Oladipo and the Rockets (11-13) on Saturday.
The Wizards superstar always seems a step away from being placed in the trading block, and league officials think it’s more a matter of when, not than.
“Ultimately, I think the Wizards will trade him,” said one NBA executive. “They want to treat Beal right. I think Beal will get frustrated asking for trade and they will accommodate him. ”
One league official also wonders if the Wizards would trade Beal to a team from the Eastern Conference.
The already available player – and much less expensive one – is Oladipo, the new Rockets star who acquired Houston in the James Harden trailer. Sources claim that it is possible to trade Oladipo, as he will be an unlimited free agent this summer.
If the Knicks seized Oladipo, it would show that Scott Perry, GM’s Knicks, still has a lot of power in the organization. Perry set up the University of Indiana product in Orlando with the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft.
“The Knicks definitely sniffed at Victor when he was with the Pacers,” one NBA source said.
Knicks president Leon Rose is reportedly not that high on Oladipo’s future, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is still looking for roster upgrades because of their score, league sources confirm.
The 6-4 shooting guard averaged 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He is still only 28 and tends in the direction of being over his four-tendon knee surgery.
As it stands now, Beal wants to stay in Washington and the Wizards do not want to move him. Beal (27) will only become a free agent in 2023. The downside of Leon Rose’s Knicks is that he is stopped by Mark Bartelstein – not Creative Agency.
If Beal is placed on the block that enters the March 25 deadline, Knicks will count among the bidders.
Beal entered the Wizards’ Wednesday game against the Raptors with a league high of 33.3 points per game and scored 47 percent. Beal also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
RJ Barrett, the number 3 pick in the 2019 draft, is part of the Knicks future, but still has not shown enough to confirm himself as a definite future All-Star.
As much as Thibodeau likes his two-way game, scouts in the league are still concerned about whether Barrett’s athletics is considered elite – not just his three-point shooting.
However, the Knicks do not want to put Barrett in a Beal deal and feel they have built up enough futures contracts.
Aside from the Knox and Ntilikina lotteries, they may have two lotteries in this draft, plus Detroit’s precious second round. This could possibly be the 31st choice in a concept considered strong.
In addition, the Knicks have two choices in the first round in 2023 and multiple choices in the second round in 2023.
When the Knicks did all their transactions before and after the draft in November, it was the idea to raise extra draft compensation to use in a proposal for a player like Beal.
If Washington waits this summer to trade Beal, the Knicks will have even more room to inherit his contract. The Knicks even now have $ 15 million worth of room after the Rose-for-Dennis Smith Jr. exchange. This makes a Beal / Oladipo trade easier to complete due to cap math.
Now that veteran point guard Rose is on board and has already shown life in the 32-year-old legs, Thibodeau will want more.
The Knicks have made their win-now mentality clear. Patience went out the window when former Knicks president Steve Mills was ousted a year ago. Leon Rose has apparently been appointed to appoint a winning coach, Thibodeau.
Thibodeau and senior vice president William Wesley, who sent Rose to John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers, drafted the Rose agreement. Thibodeau underestimated it, saying he got a handful of names – probably Lonzo Ball and JJ Redick among them.
With Derrick Rose’s desire to leave Detroit, Ball no longer makes sense. The 36-year-old Redick looks like a lateral move with the more versatile and younger Alec Burks in place.
Sources confirm that Redick prefers to trade over the Nets of Knicks, as his family still lives in the DUMBO division of Brooklyn.
“I think Leon and West and Scott, they are in constant communication with all the teams in the league,” Thibodeau said. ‘It’s all part of this business. You talk about a number of possibilities, you look at them, the pros and cons, that it can add, but there are a number of players that have been discussed. ”
If Rose continues to perform as in Tuesday’s debut, the Knicks may consider moving Elfrid Payton and / or Austin Rivers to ease a problem. Payton increased its trading value and attracted interest, sources said. Rivers is not around until Thibodeau’s new top 10 is injured.
“Austin was already there, he’s a veteran,” Thibodeau said. “He will stay ready. He is situational. Things usually work out. If he calls, I know he’s ready to go. ‘
Rivers was also a teammate in 2018-19 from Beal, who will once again have a chance to feast on the Knicks on Friday.