Although it is just a few weeks into the 2019-20 NBA regular season, it is already safe to say that the New York Knicks are not a good basketball team. Despite initially having at least some aspirations of contending for the final few playoff spots in the Eastern Conference this time around, the Knicks currently sit at a lowly 4-16, a mark that has New York tied for last place in the Eastern Conference standings with the struggling Atlanta Hawks.
As a result of the team's early season struggles, it is more than likely that the Knicks ultimately elect to part ways with at least one player ahead of this year's NBA trade deadline. Because of the Knicks' young core, New York will surely trade away a veteran player that is not signed to the team's roster for the foreseeable future as it continues to build a foundation consisting of forward Kevin Knox, big men Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson and guards Frank Ntilikina, RJ Barrett and Dennis Smith Jr.
With that foundation most likely to remain in place past the 2019-20 campaign, the Knicks have a few options come NBA trade deadline time. Such a list could be highlighted by the likes of veteran forward Marcus Morris, veteran big man Taj Gibson and veteran power forward Bobby Portis. While Gibson can be used to serve as a second true center behind the aforementioned Robinson and with Portis playing very mediocre basketball as a depth piece for the Knicks, the best trade option for the lowly Eastern Conference franchise will quickly become Morris.
Currently playing under the confines of a one-year, $15 million contract — as is Portis — Morris has served as the Knicks' best player for the majority of the 2019-20 while his veteran presence and well-rounded game could no doubt help a contending franchise later in the year. Because Morris is not tied to the Knicks after this season, he comes relatively cheap by the modern day NBA standards and has the skill set to both start or come off the bench. Many teams from around the league will definitely have their eyes on the longtime forward as the season grows older.
As it stands today, the 30-year-old Morris is averaging 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a member of the Knicks this season. Already having appeared in 19 regular season games in 2019-20, he is also averaging 33.1 minutes, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks per outing. If the season were to end today, both his scoring and rebounding averages would serve as single-season career-high marks.
With all of this in mind, it becomes very clear that the Knicks need to trade Morris before the deadline.
Follow Us
Subscribe