Kyle O’Quinn on the Block: Well Played, Scott Perry

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 25: Kyle O'Quinn (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 25: Kyle O'Quinn (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Although the Knicks trading Kyle O’Quinn at the upcoming deadline might seem like a bad idea at first, it could be one of the keys to an even brighter future in Madison Square Garden.

So when this season began, from an assets perspective, everyone knew that the Knicks had too many bigs. Some thought Hernangomez could be dangled for his upside at the trade deadline, others thought the Knicks would showcase Enes Kanter and trade him for a talented young wing who can score and play defense.

But then this happened…

A report out of the NY Post recently said that the Knicks will actually pursue the least expected route: trading Kyle O’Quinn.

At first glance, this doesn’t add up. KOQ has a team friendly contract, albeit expiring, and has proven to be a capable passing big who hits the boards hard. Bottom line is, he helps them enough that he is worth keeping around.

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Although trading Kyle O’Quinn was not the first thought for many fans, in a way it’s the best one.

Like Kanter, teams around the league trust in O’Quinn’s proven skill set, and although the ceiling isn’t as high, he can translate directly into value in assets and/or picks.

Although the dungeon of lottery-bound teams is dark, there is enough competition down there for the picture to be just unclear enough that a team sending away a pick for an O’Quinn package could be actually sending the Knicks Marvin Bagley or Michael Porter, Jr.

So root for a deal, especially one that opens up some room to develop Willy Hernangomez, a player most Knick fans are ready to see thrive next to the Unicorn.

Next: New York Knicks Draft Prospect to Watch: Gary Trent Jr.

Look, Scott Perry has dealt with messes way worse than a logjam at center, like cleaning up the train wreck that was the Sacramento Kings after getting absolutely robbed in the Cousins deal last year. Let’s have some faith here — this just could be the right move!