Knicks Rumors: Phoenix Suns P.J. Tucker A Trade Target
New York Knicks Rumors: With defense being a struggle for the Knicks, they are reportedly targeting veteran small forward P.J. Tucker in a potential trade.
New York Knicks rumors are going to begin to pick up with the NBA Trade Deadline less than two months away. It is clear what the Knicks are looking for, as their performance on the defensive end of the court has been abysmal.
The Knicks are riding a five-game losing streak that was continued with an embarrassing performance against the Orlando Magic on Monday night. The Knicks lost 115-103 in that game and have surrendered 113.8 points in those five losses.
As a result, it has head coach Jeff Hornacek peeved. He questioned the ability of the players on the team to adequately play defense following the tough loss. He backed off those statements a little bit on Tuesday but says that he is still looking for sustained effort from the team defensively.
The Knicks have some players with prominent roles in the rotation that excel offensively but are not as strong defensively. Carmelo Anthony is at the top of that list, with Derrick Rose being not too far behind. Both are exceptionally gifted scoring the ball, but leave a lot to be desired on the other end of the court.
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The Knicks struggles cannot solely be placed on those two as it takes a whole team effort to succeed on defense. The Knicks just do not have the personnel to keep up with opponents in certain situations. They are easily taken advantage of in pick-and-roll as they do not possess the athleticism to successfully pull off rotations and recover in scrambles and from double teams.
Despite the clear struggles, do not expect a change to come to the rotation. Hornacek does not envision making changes to help get the defense going.
"“We’re always taking a look at things,” he said. “But we’ve got some dynamic offensive players out there, and we’ve got some guys that are strictly defense to help us out. We just all have to get better.”"
While Hornacek isn’t going to change the rotation, the roster could be changing in the coming weeks. The Knicks could really use some help on the perimeter defensively, and one player that could really help in that area is Phoenix Suns small forward P.J. Tucker.
According to league sources that have talked to ESPN.com, Tucker is someone that the Knicks are targeting in a potential trade. He would be an excellent addition for the Knicks.
Tucker is reknown for his defensive abilities. He gives Anthony fits when the Knicks play against him and is still one of the better defenders at the small forward spot in the NBA. He ranks 22nd out of 80 qualifying small forwards in defensive RPM, which would represent a huge upgrade for the Knicks.
In contrast, the best small forward the Knicks have is rookie Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who has a defensive RPM of 0.03, which ranks 44th. Maurice Ndour is 58th with a DRPM of -0.49 and Lance Thomas is 60th with a DRPM of -0.71. Anthony is the fourth worst small forward in DRPM with a -1.74; only Jeff Green, Andrew Wiggins, and Brandon Ingram grade out worse.
Tucker also wouldn’t hurt the Knicks on the offensive side of the ball. He could provide them with some floor spacing, as he is shooting 34.2 percent this season and 34.8 percent in his career. The biggest question is; what would the Knicks trade for Tucker?
Kyle O’Quinn has been mentioned as a potential trade piece going back to the offseason. The Knicks have a couple of intriguing young prospects as well such as Willy Hernangomez and Kuzminskas that could intrigue the Suns. The Knicks also have all of their draft picks, so they could dangle that in a trade.
The package that the Knicks put together, if they have one at all, will be something to keep an eye on. An upgrade on the perimeter is important, but what are they willing to pay? The front office under Phil Jackson has been reluctant to trade draft picks, so it will be interesting if they stick to their guns in that regard.
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The Knicks will have to make a move if they want to keep pace in the Eastern Conference. But is it worth dipping into their future assets to make a move for this season? It is a decision the organization will have to figure out in the coming weeks.