Report: The New York Knicks Are Interested In Trading For Bradley Beal and CJ McCollum

The New York Knicks have started this season off better than expected. With a record of 15-16 as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks are ready to officially contend for a playoff slot. New York deserves to be a winning organization again and is prepared to take that next step to fulfil a winning culture. According to New York Daily’s Stefon Bondy, there are confirmed cases that the Knicks are interested in trading for Bradley Beal while monitoring the availability of CJ McCollum. Even though this is merely confirmation of the Knicks having an interest in either guard, New York is in a position to trade for one of these players successfully. 

Despite Bradley Beal formally mentioning that he does not want to take the “easy way out,” the Washington Wizards are the ones that would make the final decision on trading Beal. Many organizations have proved that they will always choose the business over the loyalty of players. In 2016 we saw that happen to Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics. In 2017 it was Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2018, it was DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors and so on. This means that Washington would most likely trade Beal for the right price even though they may appear to be “loyal” to him. With the Knicks having an overwhelming amount of young pieces to trade, New York would be in a good position to trade for an All-Star calibre player in the NBA. 

Even though Beal has been rumoured to be traded for quite some time now, CJ McCollum is a new developing story in the trade market. Before his injury this season, McCollum was playing like a superstar with averages of 26.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG. CJ was playing his best season yet and was a clear candidate to make the All-Star game. New York expressing interest in him is understandable but risky. McCollum is currently 29-years-old while having one of the biggest contracts in the NBA. He was playing incredible basketball before getting injured, but for New York’s timeline, a trade for Bradley Beal makes much more sense. 

Both Beal and McCullom hold complicated scenarios. Beal, who is currently untradable and young, would require a massive load just to convince Washington to pick up the phone. In contrast, trading for CJ McCullom would be easier for New York to do but would require a significant chunk of their salary cap. This is also assuming that the Portland Trailblazers are interested or open to the idea of trading McCullom. The New York Knicks have options, and if they want to make a trade before the deadline to either organization, here is what the trades could potentially look like.  

Bradley Beal Trade

Washington Wizards receive- RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Immanuel Quickley, Kevin Knox II, 2021 unprotected first-round pick and a 2023 unprotected first-round pick.

New York Knicks receive- Bradley Beal

The Washington Wizards would most likely expect a package similar to this. With Bradley Beal being named an All-Star starter while leading the NBA in points, his value this season has dramatically gone up. This is a win-win scenario for both teams as the Wizards can finally rebuild with exciting young assets while the Knicks fulfil their goals of attempting to compete in the Eastern Conference. New York also forms a dynamic duo of Julius Randle, who should be an All-Star this season and Bradley Beal, which is good enough to make the playoffs. The best part about this trade is the Wizards attaining a full-time starting center, which they have always lacked. Even though this trade package guts the Knicks promising young core, they would be replacing it with a superstar in the NBA! That seems like a fair exchange.

CJ McCollum Trade

Portland Trailblazers receive- RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox II, Elfrid Payton, 2021 unprotected first-round pick and 2023 unprotected second-round pick. 

New York Knicks receive- CJ McCollum

Unlike the Wizards, the Portland Trailblazers are trying to compete in the Western Conference with Damian Lillard. After their 2019 playoff success of reaching the Western Conference finals, it makes sense why the Blazers still believe that they can reach the NBA finals. Even though a trade like this would hinder their chances of competing in the West, it would allow them to make a slight rebuild. McCollum is currently on a multi-year contract while being the second-highest paid player on the roster. By trading him, the Blazers would have some breathing room to sign high-quality role players or even an All-Star! 

The reality is, this duo is not going to win a championship which means that it is time to make some adjustments to help Damian Lillard. This trade allows the Blazers to start a new chapter while also attaining some young assets to potentially trade away. While this offer would help the Blazers take a different direction, the New York Knicks would fulfill their goals to compete for a playoff slot. By having CJ, the Knicks bring in a reliable and efficient scorer, which is precisely what this team needs!