The New York Knicks, encouraged by the progress they’ve made as a franchise over the past two seasons thanks in large part to the emergence of Jalen Brunson as a legitimate MVP candidate, have decided to go all-in this offseason.
They traded away a boatload of draft capital to bring Mikal Bridges in, and then last week, they pulled off a stunning blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. But the Knicks may not be done making moves quite yet.
With whatever trade assets they have left, the Knicks have reportedly had “internal discussions” about a potential trade for Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, per Kris Pursiainen of Ballislife. The Knicks reportedly have had “rumored interest” in trading for Smart in the past but “no deal is imminent”, according to Pursiainen.
Now, Smart should not cost too big of a price in a prospective trade, but it should still take at least a first-round pick to at least make the Grizzlies think about dealing away the veteran guard. However, at this point, it seems as though all the Knicks can offer in a potential trade are a paperclip and piece of twine.
The Knicks owe the Brooklyn Nets nearly all of their first-round picks until 2029, and the Nets also hold swap rights over their 2028 first-rounder. All the Knicks can trade at the moment in terms of draft capital is a heavily-protected Washington Wizards first-round pick as well as swap rights over their 2026 and 2030 first-round picks. Will a combination of those assets be enough to sway the Grizzlies?
And then there’s the matter of matching salaries as well; as a team that is operating above the first luxury tax apron, the Knicks cannot receive more salary than they give out in any trade. Thus, matching Smart’s $20.2 salary for this season will be a pain. Combining Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa gets the Knicks to that number, but that may not be such an enticing proposition to them considering their lack of depth across multiple positions.
The Knicks will have to hope that they hit on some of their lower-end moves, such as bringing in Chuma Okeke and TJ Warren on training-camp deals, before they entertain the idea of gutting the team’s depth even further.
A potential Knicks trade for Marcus Smart may be nothing more than a pipe dream
In addition to all the reasons outlined above, it will be additionally difficult for the Knicks to trade for Marcus Smart simply because the Grizzlies will be looking to contend for this upcoming season. They brought Smart in last offseason to bolster their perimeter defense following the departure of Dillon Brooks, and Smart brings plenty of winning intangibles that simply did not get a chance to manifest due to the team’s massive injury problems.
Regardless, the 2024-25 season promises a new beginning for the Grizzlies. Smart is likely to start in their backcourt alongside Ja Morant, with Desmond Bane sliding up to the three. The Grizzlies could then stagger the minutes of Morant and Smart to make sure that one of their top playmakers is on the court at all times.
For the Knicks, they have Miles McBride and Cameron Payne as guard depth anyway, so it’s not as if trading for Smart is an urgent order of business. McBride, in particular, established himself as a legitimate rotation piece for the team last season.
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