The Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic have expressed interest in New York Knicks second-year guard Frank Ntilikina, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News.
Bondy says there seems to be a split within the Knicks organization regarding Ntilikina. Some feel that they should try and trade him while he still has value, and others feel they should hold on to him because he is under contract through 2021 and is just 20 years old.
The Suns and Magic are both in desperate need of a point guard, so it's only natural that they would be intrigued by a very young floor general who is under team control for quite some time.
Ntilikina has played in 37 games this season, averaging six points and 2.6 assists over 21.2 minutes per game while shooting 34.4 percent from the floor, 30.1 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
The Knicks selected Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, and he has struggled to find his footing over his first two years in the league and has not progressed at all this season.
However, while Ntilikina has been very poor offensively, he is a very good perimeter defender and has the potential to be one of the best defensive players in the league with his combination of size, length and athleticism.
Whether or not New York trades Ntilikina between now and the Feb. 7 trade deadline remains to be seen, but given his age and contract situation, he should have decent value.
The Knicks are currently 10-34.
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