Knicks could trade for $90 million former Lakers star to bolster offense image
The New York Knicks are struggling on offense to start the season.
New York isn’t taking nearly enough threes. The Knicks are literally ranked dead last in the NBA in three-point attempts (entering Tuesday) at 28.3 attempts per game.
Another problem facing New York is the criminally low usage of superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, who took just eight shots in the Knicks’ home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Jalen Brunson, Tom Thibodeau, and Co. will surely adapt to address the above issues, but New York is nonetheless unlikely to become an offensive juggernaut as currently constructed.
Unfortunately for the Knicks, they’ll have to be able to score at a high rate to compete with a team like the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Boston is currently leading the NBA in points per game (124.3) and three-point attempts per game (50.3). The defending champion Celtics also happen to be 4-0.
New York is 1-2 and they rank No. 14 in the NBA in scoring at 112.0 points per game.
A Thibodeau-led establishment will always prioritize defense, but the Knicks will simply have to be a top-10 offense if they have any desire to run with Boston.
New York needs to pick up another scorer, particularly one who isn’t bashful about launching threes.
According to a new report from Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, Kyle Kuzma of the Washington Wizards is a top trade target this season. Kuzma could be an excellent fit on the Knicks to add some offense.
“Kuzma’s contract is considered “highly attractive” around the league,” Buckley said. “That’s surely why the Wizards have set such a steep asking price. Back in January, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Washington was seeking “at least two first-round picks” in exchange for Kuzma.”
“Who knows if anyone will meet that price—or whether the Wizards will drop it—but what seems certain is that Kuzma’s name should continue being discussed in deals. Sure, he could be more consistent with his outside shot (career 33.7 percent) and defensive activity, but he’s still a 6’9″ forward offering versatility at both ends and shot-creation for himself and his teammates.”
Kuzma went off during Monday’s Wizards victory over the Atlanta Hawks, dropping 25 points on 5-for-9 shooting from three to go along with 11 rebounds and seven assists.
Kuzma can have epic performances like that from time to time, which would greatly benefit the Knicks as they continue to sort out the KAT situation. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby can certainly score, but those two guys are also going to be carrying a heavy load defensively every single night.
A guy like Kuzma who can just focus on volume scoring and help on the glass would carve out a much-needed role in New York.
Kuzma is averaging 17.0 and 7.0 rebounds so far in 3 games for Washington, right around his career averages of 17.3 and 6.4.
Acquiring Kuzma would mean sending the Wizards Josh Hart. To make the money work, the Knicks would also have to involve a third team in the deal to avoid also having to ship Miles McBride off to Washington (giving up Hart and McBride for Kuzma would be a bad trade for New York).
As for the Wizards’ insistence on receiving draft compensation, the Knicks shouldn’t be turned off by that request if they are serious about winning now.
Kuzma is in the second year of a four-year, $90 deal.
