Breaking: The New York Knicks Have Interest In Bradley Beal And Victor Oladipo. Will Trading For One Of These Guards Be Enough For New York To Make The Playoffs?
After the recent Derrick Rose trade that happened this past Sunday, the New York Knicks have been monitoring Victor Oladipo and Bradley Beal. The Knicks are having a great start to the season as they have a record of 11-15, making them eligible for the play-in tournament. Even though most of the roster has played well together, the real MVP of this team has been Julius Randle.
Last season, Randle was expected to play like an All-Star; however, he underachieved. This season, Randle has taken a dramatic turn and has looked like one of the best power forwards in the NBA. His incredible turnout and productivity on the offensive have managed to spark the Knicks entire roster. While New York is not a title contender, the future of this team is bright.
It’s clear that New York wants to try to make a playoff push when they signed Tom Thibodeau as the head coach. Since becoming a head coach, Thibodeau has been an aggressive and passionate coach as all he cares about is winning games no matter how much wear and tear his players get. Due to his mentality and aggression, the Knicks have transformed themselves into legit playoff contenders making New York a much more attractive destination for free agents.
New York having interest in both Victor Oladipo and Bradley Beal is understandable. If New York has an opportunity to make their first playoff appearance since Carmelo Anthony, then trading for a superstar guard can be the answer! By successfully trading for Derrick Rose while not giving up any first-round picks or valuable young assets, New York is ready to make a significant trade and have the assets to do so.
Despite Bradley Beal formally mentioning that he does not want to leave the Washington Wizards and does not want an “easy way out,” that decision is not his to make. If the Wizards choose to trade Beal, they would want young assets and valuable draft picks, which is precisely what New York has to offer! With Bradley Beal signing a multi-year contract, New York would have to present an overwhelming package to convince the Wizards front office. However, attaining Victor Oladipo could be a much more affordable option for New York.
The Houston Rockets most likely have little to no desire to keep Oladipo for their future plans. With Oladipo and Houston having that assumed mutual understanding, the Rockets could very well trade away the former All-Star to either the destination he wants or for the best offer. While trading for Bradley Beal would require a significant chunk of New York’s future, negotiations for Victor Oladipo would demand much less due to many reasons.
Oladipo is on the last year of his contract with no rights making him an unrestricted free agent this season. He is injury-prone and has yet to return to his old All-Star self. With those two main factors, the New York Knicks could offer only a small portion of their future to trade for Oladipo, making him the much more feasible option. If the Knicks would want to trade for Bradley Beal, here is what both offers could potentially look like,
Washington receives- RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox ll, Frank Ntilikina, Ignas Brazdeikis, two unprotected future first and second-round picks
New York receives- Bradley Beal
Or
Houston receives- Kevin Knox ll, Frank Ntilikina, and two future second-round picks
New York receives- Victor Oladipo
The New York Knicks need to choose if this is the route they are determined to take. Trading for Beal requires a massive chunk of their future, while trading for Oladipo is a relatively small amount. Even though Kevin Knox has shown flashes of being a solid role player for the Knicks, Frank Ntilinkina has been a waste of an asset considering the number of guards the Knicks currently possess. Both former lottery picks need a new start as they every so often so flashes of being a solid contributor for any roster.