Knicks Rumors: Ricky Rubio, Nemanja Bjelica Trade Targets From Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks Rumors: The Knicks are involved in trade talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Derrick Rose and reportedly like Ricky Rubio and Nemanja Bjelica as potential trade targets.
New York Knicks rumors are really picking up with the NBA Trade Deadline only hours away. There are a number of Knicks players that have drawn interest, including Kyle O’Quinn and Mindaugas Kuzminskas. We can probably write off a Carmelo Anthony trade going down, as he has a full no-trade clause and wants to remain with the team.
One player who sounds like he could legitimately be on the move is point guard Derrick Rose. Multiple teams have reportedly inquired about Rose, with the Minnesota Timberwolves being the most aggressive.
Why would the Timberwolves be interested? Rose’s former coach with the Chicago Bulls, Tom Thibodeau, is now with Minnesota.
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Thibodeau wants to clear the way for their point guard of the future, Kris Dunn. Rose would give them a chance to do that, as he is on an expiring contract. But, the Timberwolves would have to move incumbent point guard Ricky Rubio to do so.
Luckily for Minnesota, Knicks President Phil Jackson is a fan of Rubio. While some people in the organization are reluctant to add future salary, which acquiring Rubio would do, have come away feeling that Jackson is fond enough of Rubio that it may not matter.
A swap of Rubio for Rose would work under the current salary cap, but there could be other parts involved in the deal. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today, the Knicks have also asked about Nemanja Bjelica. Zillgitt said that he is a player the Knicks have been interested in for a while and have asked about his availability in trade talks with Rose.
Knicks have liked T'Wolves' Nemanja Bjelica for a while, and inquired about his availability in Rose talks, I'm told.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) February 22, 2017
The Knicks interest in Rubio is not surprising. He is a flawed player but brings some good things he would bring to the court. He is an excellent playmaker offensively, which should help Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. He is not a threat to score himself, averaging a career-low 8.9 points per game, and cannot shoot, but he should help keep the ball moving offensively.
Where he would really help is on defense. Rose has been a sieve defensively all season, looking disinterested on that end of the court. Rubio would instantly upgrade that end of the court for the Knicks and help take pressure off Courtney Lee on the perimeter.
The interest in Bjelica is less understanding. It is hard to figure out where he would fit into the rotation. The Knicks already have a logjam in the frontcourt, and if they want to play Anthony at power forward more there are even fewer minutes to be distributed.
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Bjelica was an excellent player in Europe, and the Knicks have had some success recently finding talent overseas. Maybe there is something they see in Bjelica that the Timberwolves have been unable to figure out, but their interest in him is certainly a head scratcher given the current layout of their roster.