The New York Knicks are interested in Kyle Kuzma, but there are significant roadblocks to a potential trade.
On Tuesday, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium broke the news that the New York Knicks are having “exploratory talks” with the Los Angeles Lakers about Kyle Kuzma. According to NBA TV’s Eric Pincus, there are a few avenues in which the Knicks could acquire Kuzma in a trade.
Said deal would almost definitely involve Marcus Morris going to the Lakers, in which case Los Angeles would have to send more than just Kuzma to New York in order to match salary. In that scenario, the Knicks would need to clear roster space to take on the extra players. This could be accomplished by making a pre-emptive trade to dump players, cutting players prior to the trade, or expand the trade to include more teams.
Kuzma, 24, is averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 43.7% from the field and 33.7% from three. Morris has, arguably, been the best player on the Knicks this year. He is averaging a career-high 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2% from the field and a career-high 43.9% from three.
The Knicks are definitely looking to add promising youngsters to establish a core they can build around, and they will hope to use Morris to do so. Flipping Morris for someone like Kuzma, as complex as it may be, is one way for the Knicks to salvage this season.
The Feb. 6 trade deadline is approaching fast. Should the Knicks and Lakers come to an agreement on a deal involving Kuzma and Morris, they’ll have to figure out all the minutiae soon.
