Knicks Daily Roundup 3/31: Knicks Interested in Harkless, Hornets Trade Nixed, and More
-In yesterday's roundup, we referenced The New York Post's Marc Berman's article about Maurice Harkless and how the Knicks could be interested in bringing the free agent back. SNY's Ian Begley confirmed this, as he wrote about other executives expecting New York to try and re-sign the St. John's alum. Harkless could be a nice fit around the young core of the Knicks—at the right price, of course.
-The Knicks made a successful move at the trade deadline, offloading (what became 12 games of) Marcus Morris for the aforementioned Harkless and a first round pick. However, the team was considering another deal with the Charlotte Hornets, according to Begley. Apparently, a deal at the deadline that had "internal support" had New York sending Julius Randle, Dennis Smith Jr., and a first round pick to Charlotte for Terry Rozier and Malik Monk.
It's hard to understand what exactly the Knicks were thinking with this one. It'd be fair to consider Randle and Smith Jr. for Rozier and Monk as close to a wash, so that logic would mean the Knicks would be giving up a first round pick for essentially nothing. While Monk is better than Smith Jr., Rozier has been just as frustrating as Randle this season and has a longer contract. To give up a first round pick for a deal that does not move the needle and hurts the team long term would be a colossal mistake. To trade a pick just to get rid of their big free agent signing of Randle represents yet another instance where the Knicks have been willing to deem one of their decisions a failure shortly after making it. That's not to say they shouldn't move Randle, but to do this while burning a first round pick as a rebuilding team shows there isn't (or wasn't) a coherent plan with this franchise.
-It's been nearly three weeks of no basketball, and despite the constant uncertainty, the NBA is desperately trying to figure out a way to eventually resume the season. Marc Berman of The New York Post wrote about one possible plan, which would have all playoff games being played in an arena in Las Vegas. If the season does come back, even in a weird mutation, fans everywhere will surely rejoice.
-If basketball does not come back, people will still attempt to recreate it in any way they can. According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the NBA will be doing a players-only NBA 2K tournament, currently scheduled for Friday. It's expected to be broadcasted on ESPN. The Knicks' representative will be Damyean Dotson.
-James Dolan and Charles Oakley were all set to meet in court and (hopefully) hash out their differences. Now it looks like they won't get that chance. With Dolan testing positive for coronavirus, the Knicks owner is no longer required to meet, and the proceedings will go on without him.
-Alex Wolfe is next up with his Knicks SI Mock Draft simulation. Getting a little lottery luck, Alex opted to select a point guard first, then grab a Duke player, and finally focus on shooting. You can click here to read about Alex's mock draft simulation and thought process.
-The eighth part in Berman's series focuses on perhaps the most polarizing Knick on the roster: Kevin Knox. Scouts and analysts are torn on Knox and whether he will amount to a real NBA player. It would make sense for the Knicks to stay patient, as Knox didn't get consistent playing time this season. Sometimes, young players just need the opportunity to play through their mistakes, and the former Kentucky Wildcat is still raw. However, Knox's development has been extremely slow for a lottery pick, and his third year could be make or break.
