Knicks to trade Courtney Lee, Kyle O’Quinn & 1st round pick for 76ers' Okafor?

[StevoStarks]

This would be crazy, as in stupid, although just appears to be a rumor. Not sure how it works with Melo, KP and Noah. I was having a tough time copying and pasting the article so click the link.

http://www.sportsrageous.com/nba/nba-ru ... for/35974/

[Mr. Glass]

Some punk bitch at work was on this before me and told me the Knicks did it. I didn't trip because it was a garbage rumor...

...but I entertained it. We would need a starting SG. I'd flip Okafor in a trade tbh.

[shakespeare]

I'm not an Okafor fan defensively, but even I recognize his offensive value in the context of this trade rumor. Even I recognize what a Porzingis/Okafor frontcourt duo would mean offensively for New York for years and years to come. Even I recognize what Okafor does for Noah's health in the long and short-term.

If this trade becomes available, you gotta make this trade.

For what it's worth, we all know that Phil Jackson wanted Okafor in the draft until we fell to the 4th pick.

[Minkaveli]

No thanks. We just signed Lee. Can't flip him already. Plus the salaries don't even match. We'd have to get someone else in return.

[Irv]

This is straight garbage. I had to trace this "rumor" back across three websites and ultimately had to search for it in Google to find out that the alleged source is a guy who wrote a column saying that the Knicks could offer this if they wanted Okafor.

SMDH, FOHWTBS.

Moved to Armchair.

[shakespeare]

had to search for it in Google to find out that the alleged source is a guy who wrote a column saying that the Knicks could offer this if they wanted Okafor.

Hilarious.

[Mr3037]

Irv

[Don Che]

Okafor is a beast..why would Philly do that...PLUS.....free agents can't very traded yet. So chill everyone it's impossible

[nazrmohamed]

If the Knicks could make this move and don't do it because of Courtney Lee and Oquinn that'd be crazy. Even if you had to take back salary just about everyone on that team is young. It'd be worth it to me, basically getting a stud interior scorer you could pair with KP for years. Probably bullshit but just sayin.

[maxinquaye11]

just trading Courtney to make room for the DRose-BJ 2pg.

[spree#8]

Lol.
1) We can't trade Lee before December 15th.
2) We are coming off a 32 win season, so we should not trade a 1st round pick before we even know if we get better. Nothing against Okafor (whom Phil would've picked above Porzingis), but the next job is to get a young guard stud to complement Porzingis, not a center.

[ny4life]

I'm huge fan of Courtney Lee but Okafor's upside, salary and potential is nothin 2 sneeze @. Lee cant be traded till Dec. 15th but lets offer them O'Quinn and Sasha's instead??? The salaries match perfect and the worse they could say is no we want Lee......We''ll be hard pressed to draft anybody better than Okafor especially with our 2017 squad so i'm kinda cool with the draft pick thing this go around. Possible Lee replacements if that trade does present itself.....Lance Stephenson ( Yeah I said it) Gerald Green( I know what ur thinkin but history shows u gotta have a mix of talent and goons) Kevin Martin(old as hell but still serviceable) PJ Hairston( Don't sleep) JR Smith ( Never underestimate JR's loyalty 2 home) Or we give our own guy Baker a shot. Trade or no trade..... The Knicks r finally gonna make us smile this year...... Euro's included.

[nazrmohamed]

Lol.
1) We can't trade Lee before December 15th.
2) We are coming off a 32 win season, so we should not trade a 1st round pick before we even know if we get better. Nothing against Okafor (whom Phil would've picked above Porzingis), but the next job is to get a young guard stud to complement Porzingis, not a center.

Yeah but thats the thing. Nobody can trade their free agents so you're thinking applies to everybody. The Sixers themselves know this so while its likely that this rumor is a hoax, if theres even a little merit to it then its definitely worth discussing. It basically becomes a teaser for the types of conversations that'll be had at the trade deadline, long after teams can all trade free agents from the summer. Or forget the deadline, maybe it happens in December.

And since the season starts in November you'll have at least one month to see what your team looks like and hopefully can trend out the season. Definitely you'll know by trade deadline. So that answers point 2.

So with that all said, again this would be a steal. A 9ppg 30yr old journeyman, a career backup big and but one single first rounder. I get we're averse to trading first rounders but still, this is a different type of trade than what the Knicks normally do. Typically we trade first rounders for Derrick Rose with two more years on his contract, or Noah. A vet whose supposed to be the missing piece of the puzzle to a win now team. And it always fails with said missing piece either getting hurt or being just ineffective. This would be a future first rounder for literally the third player picked last year at this time. It'd be Okofors junior year in college going into this year, except instead he trained and developed at an NBA level. A teams goal is to get lottery talent players, we'd have added two in two years.

And the talent is undeniable. But even still this just seems too good to be true. It does make me now start obsessing about other targets as a backup plan. What would people think about something similar or hopefully even easier for someone like Willie-Caulie Stein. What if it were more about getting a younger version of Noah? Didn't the Nuggets grab another guard. What if somehow we could trade a future first to get someone like Mudiay as the heir apparent to Rose. It goes on and on. Point is I hate trading first too. But if you can grab a rookie contract sophomore and 3rd year player who is a stud, thats not a bad move.

[taowave]

Ok,I am not in love with Okafor,but if the Knicks passed on that hypothetical opportunity, Jackson should go home to Jeannie.

I am saying that based off of my belief that we will be a top 7 seed in the east and we won't be in the lottery this year.

Assuming Okafor isn't a total knucklehead and I am right on us making the playoffs,would anyone not trade Lee,O'Quinn and a non lottery pick for Okafor?

[Nononsense]

Yeah but thats the thing. Nobody can trade their free agents so you're thinking applies to everybody.

Naz, you do realize that there are players in the league who weren't free agents this summer, don't you? Those players CAN be traded. The problem with us is that most of our players are newly acquired free agents, thereby limiting the likelihood of us being a realistic trade parter at this point. But as for other teams, I'm sure there are sensible trade parters somewhere in the league with non-free agent players that are indeed tradable.

[spree#8]

Ok,I am not in love with Okafor,but if the Knicks passed on that hypothetical opportunity, Jackson should go home to Jeannie.

I am saying that based off of my belief that we will be a top 7 seed in the east and we won't be in the lottery this year.

Assuming Okafor isn't a total knucklehead and I am right on us making the playoffs,would anyone not trade Lee,O'Quinn and a non lottery pick for Okafor?

Said Isiah Thomas to himself before every dumb move he made.

[taowave]

Spree,you don't think we make the playoffs?

Said Isiah Thomas to himself before every dumb move he made.

[Boston_PuppyDawg]

Just to stir the pot....

Knicks among the teams interested in Bucks C/PF Greg Monroe but would likely need a 3rd team (@AmicoHoops) https://t.co/oTtBEYitjp

[StevoStarks]

Just to stir the pot....

Knicks among the teams interested in Bucks C/PF Greg Monroe but would likely need a 3rd team (@AmicoHoops) https://t.co/oTtBEYitjp

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Nononsense]

Just to stir the pot....

Knicks among the teams interested in Bucks C/PF Greg Monroe but would likely need a 3rd team (@AmicoHoops) https://t.co/oTtBEYitjp

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The rumor is that we'd be giving up O'Quinn and a future draft pick. Now I'm past the point of trading draft picks, but I just might consider it in this case. We'd have insurance for Noah. In the mean time, we'd bolster our bench (which is currently our greatest weakness) led by Monroe/Jennings. Probably the best reserve pg/c combination in the league. Now, worst case scenario (Rose AND Noah are injured), we still have an effective starting lineup: Jennings/Lee/Melo/KP/Monroe. In fact, even if Rose and Noah aren't injured, I'd be inclined to give them rest days and insert Jennings and Monroe into the starting unit in the meantime.

As for cap implications, Monroe's deal will be a steal with the cap spike this summer. Next summer, the cap goes up again, which will make Monroe's deal look like highway robbery. But from a depth standpoint, we'd be set. We could even stand to shorten the rotation to 8 men for more defined roles and consistency if Jennings and/or Monroe's play warrants starter's minutes:

PG - Rose / Jennings
SG - Lee / Jennings
SF - Melo / Lance Thomas
PF - KP / Monroe
C - Noah / Monroe

As long as the draft pick is protected, it would likely be a late first rounder. In which case, I just might consider it.