The New York Knicks rotation has undergone some big changes throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. Despite being just past the quarter point of the season, the Knicks have already used nine different players in the starting lineup for multiple games.
The most recent change was Tom Thibodeau cutting his rotation down to only nine players. Deuce McBride was inserted into the rotation, coming off the bench with Isaiah Hartenstein, Immanuel Quickley, and Obi Toppin. To make room for him, Thibodeau decided to remove veteran Derrick Rose and wing Cam Reddish.
It is a move that left a lot of people scratching their heads as Reddish has performed well in spurts this season, especially as a starter with extended minutes. His inconsistent motor is likely a big reason why, as Reddish looks great one night but lackluster another. Rose’s issues reportedly stem from leadership issues, as he isn’t filling that role to the team’s liking.
Whatever the reason behind the change, it has thus far paid off. New York has put together two excellent games, especially on the defensive end of the court, giving up 81 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then 89 points to the Atlanta Hawks.
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Naturally, when a lineup change is made, trade rumors begin to swirl involving those players. The Knicks have a ton of assets to make a blockbuster trade, but their No. 1 goal for the remainder of the season should be consolidating the roster.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, that process has already begun. Leon Rose, Scott Perry and William Wesley have been working the phones and four players have been discussed. Unsurprisingly, three of them are out of the rotation in Rose, Reddish and Evan Fournier. The fourth will surprise people, as it is Quickley.
“Now, the Knicks are already on the phones. League sources said the most-common players they have discussed with other teams are, in no particular order: Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier, Rose and Reddish. They fielded calls on Fournier leading into last winter’s trade deadline and then again over the summer. He has two seasons, including this one, remaining on his contract and hasn’t touched the court in three weeks. But it’s not like they’re desperate to send him out of town.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: New York Knicks Updates
Quickley has been discussed, but he isn’t someone that New York is actively shopping. His name has been brought up mostly as a sweetener to move off of someone such as Fournier. However, attaching assets to move Fournier at this time would make no sense.
If they hold onto him into the 2023 offseason, he can be used as an expiring contract with the 2024-25 season being a team option. But, if there is a team that has an undesirable contract, the Knicks could swap Fournier for that player as long as an asset is attached.
It seems that Rose is the likeliest player to be on the move as he has been supplanted by Quickley as the lead point guard with the second unit and McBride is now getting his minutes. Reddish hasn’t found the expanded role he was hoping for when he requested a trade from the Atlanta Hawks last year and would likely be open to another change of scenery.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: New York Knicks Updates
December 15th is the unofficial start of the trade season in the NBA with many of the players who signed free-agent deals eligible to be traded. Expect to hear plenty of rumors involving the Knicks between that time and the deadline in February as this is a team that needs to make at least one trade.
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