ShootingtheJ wrote:The rumor was OKC wants Kevin Knox and a 1st for Paul, but the Knicks aren't that interested in Paul.
I'm sure the Knicks realize Paul wants to be on a contender, and they realize they're not there yet. I doubt the Knicks are bothered to eat up a little of their cap space on Bledsoe, because the free agent class sucks.
Bledsoe is only 30 years old.
And his playoff woes would matter way less to a team desperate to get there in the first place.
I could see Thibs viewing him as a potential long term piece that they could get for chump change.
On the other hand, the Bucks are desperate, so both the Knicks as well as the Thunder can play coy and try to extract as much value as possible.
From that vantage point, I could easily see this Mark Berman NY Post article being orchestrated to try and pump up Kevin Knox's value, and of course trading for an in-his-prime Bledsoe is different for a team in their position than a CP3 on his last legs.
Also of note: If Paul wants to go to Milwaukee, his former agent being in charge of the Knicks could be an added bonus to them to help facilitate.
If Knicks president Leon Rose takes the leap for 35-year-old Chris Paul, he may have to give up on Kevin Knox, according to an NBA source.
The Thunder are motivated to deal Paul and his massive contract after deciding upon a rebuilding campaign following Billy Donovan’s firing. Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti likely will want a first-round pick and a young prospect still on his rookie contract, multiple league officials believe.
According to the source, that young player preferably would be Knox, the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, who is coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign.
The Knicks have a trove of first-round picks to deal (seven first-round picks in the next four drafts). The belief, however, is that they would prefer to keep the 20-year-old Knox in any Paul scenario and offer up either of their 2017 lottery-pick point guards, Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr., both of whom will be restricted free agents in 2021.
The Thunder already have their point guard of the future in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and are not big fans of Smith.
https://nypost.com/2020/10/06/kevin-knox-is-the-key-to-knicks-prying-chris-paul-off-thunder/