Begley's Mailbag: What moves might Knicks make before 2023 NBA trade deadline?

SNY's Ian Begley will be responding to and breaking down answers to Knicks questions from readers. Here's the latest...

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What’s up Ian, have you heard anything new regarding New York’s trade talks with Milwaukee about Cam Reddish? – @KNYT_Hoops

Hey, what’s up, KNYT? I haven’t heard anything new specific to those discussions. But the Knicks have several standing offers from teams for Reddish. Those offers include second-round picks coming back to New York. I assume the Knicks will negotiate with teams interested in him and see where they can acquire the most value for a deal involving Reddish. 

At least two teams I’ve heard from on Reddish are weighing two factors: they’d like to see him play if they are going to trade for him. Reddish hasn’t appeared in a game since Dec. 3. They also factor in Reddish’s contract situation. He will be a restricted free agent this offseason. 

So a team acquiring Reddish would be faced with a significant decision and only five months to fully evaluate the situation.

On the Derrick Rose situation, would the Knicks be comfortable moving him to a team if there is a verbal agreement to do a buyout with Rose? Like if Rose was moved to Houston in an Eric Gordon deal and then bought out, would that count as "doing right by him?"

In this scenario, does Rose have another team lined up after he’s bought out by Houston? Then I think this would count as doing right by him (Marc Stein reported that the Knicks wanted to find Rose a situation that works well for him in a trade. I believe most with the Knicks feel the same way about Reddish).

The one thing that’s hard for me to figure: Rose lifted the Knicks to the fourth seed in 2021. In the 2021 offseason, Rose re-signed with the Knicks on a three-year, $43 million deal with a team option in the final year. He underwent surgery in late December 2021 and didn’t play for the rest of the season. He was healthy in the 2022-23 preseason. 

The Knicks talked a lot about Rose’s body and conditioning back then, stating that he looked great and he was an important part of the team. But he was removed from the rotation in early December and has barely play since then.

So the Knicks are essentially saying that Rose can’t help them win games anymore. It’s a strange sequence of events. And if the Knicks deal Rose at the deadline for a minimal return, it will be another reason to scrutinize the 2021 offseason.

In your best estimation, does the Knicks' FO feel like they are closer to contention or rebuild? What's the feeling around the league? – @NOLANPREYNOLDS

Hey Nolan, it’s hard for me to accurately tell you the feeling around the league on this – or any subject. I’d have to poll dozens of people on a topic before I felt comfortable talking about how the league – as a whole – feels on said topic.

But with the Knicks, I know that they have been operating under the impression that a full-scale rebuild is not a viable option. Team president Leon Rose is in his third full season running the organization. Normally, an executive executes a traditional rebuild in his first full season. The Knicks went 41-31 in Rose’s first full season, earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. They entered the 2021 offseason with the goal of improving that roster.

So there was no thought then of tearing it down for a rebuild. I’d be surprised if Rose & Co. executed a rebuild at this point. So I think the front office is solely focused on contending with this team. Given that, I’d assume that they feel that they are closer to contention than a rebuild.

Do you get a sense from the key decision-makers that improving this team for a playoff push before the trade deadline is a priority? – @PropperMiddleman

Teams in touch with the Knicks recently say that they are seeking opportunities to add bench depth. I’m sure they are having conversations about other ways to augment the roster, but I have heard mostly about them looking to bolster the bench.

As SNY reported, the Knicks also checked in with Toronto about OG Anunoby. This was before New York reeled off eight straight wins in December. But given Toronto’s place in the standings, Anunoby could be available at the deadline. So that’s something to monitor.

Also worth noting: in their conversation about Anunoby prior to the winning streak, New York was comfortable offering multiple first-round picks for Anunoby. I don’t think these talks were at an advanced stage at that point. But all of the above strongly suggests that team decision-makers have, so far, focused on improving the roster for at the Feb. 9 trade deadline.