Knicks Should Target Mavericks Forward in Trade

The New York Knicks are in position to make a big move ahead of the trade deadline.

The team is currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, so there is room for growth to try and get over the hump and make it to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn suggested a three-team trade that would send Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall to the Knicks.

"There's not too much the Knicks can do from a matching salary perspective. They're basically limited to Yabusele, Dadiet and a minimum throw-in, which should get them a player in the $9 million range. They probably have enough second-rounders to send to Dallas for Marshall if the Mavericks make him available," Quinn wrote.

"That would especially be true if they dangled Washington's top-eight protected first-round pick. That pick won't convey, but it becomes two second-round picks, including Washington's this year, which will be at the top of the round. The Knicks could use one extra big wing defender for their bench, and Marshall can do enough with the ball in his hands to survive offensively as well. The Nets are along for the ride as cap facilitators."

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray brings the ball up court past Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Naji Marshall Would Make Sense For Knicks

The Knicks are in need of a wing that can come off the bench since Landry Shamet is injured and Guerschon Yabusele hasn't lived up to preseason expectations. In this hypothetical trade, Shamet would go to the Brooklyn Nets while Yabusele and Pacome Dadiet would become Mavericks. The Mavs would also get three second-round picks while the Nets would end up with one.

Marshall, 27, is from Atlantic City, N.J., so it would be somewhat of a homecoming for him if he were to be traded to the Knicks. So far this season, Marshall is averaging 13.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games, including 20 or more in each of the last two matchups.

The Mavericks are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline after Anthony Davis suffered a hand injury that could require surgery. They are also in the lottery section of the Western Conference standings, so their chances of making the playoffs are very slim.

A trade with the Knicks could help their future by landing a young prospect in Dadiet and some draft capital down the line.

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