With the Knicks interested in trading for Warriors PG D'Angelo Russell, they are reportedly open to including Kevin Knox in a potential deal.
"One player I am told they have included -- which is interesting -- is Kevin Knox, Shams Charania of The Athletic said Tuesday on the HoopsHype podcast with Alex Kennedy when talking about the Knicks' discussions with th e Warriors.
Charania added that he believes the Warriors' "preference is actually to keep" Russell.
The 20-year-old Knox, who was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has not progressed as quickly as the Knicks would have hoped. He is averaging just 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game this season while playing 18.6 minutes per game -- a slice of roughly 10 minutes per game from what he averaged during his rookie season.
SNY's Ian Begley reported Monday that the Knicks had registered interest with Golden State about trading for Russell, adding that it was unclear how far talks had advanced.
Two of the names that have come up in conversations with the Warriors about Russell are Bobby Portis and Frank Ntilikina, according to Begley.
One of the reasons the Warriors could be pushing to trade Russell right now could be an effort to help them avoid the luxury tax this season or reduce their future luxury tax bill, Begley noted.
Aside from Julius Randle, all of the players the Knicks signed via free agency this past offseason are on short contracts and could help the Warriors with the above.
Russell, 23, wound up in Golden State before the season through a sign-and-trade between the Nets and Warriors. He is currently in the first season of a four-year deal worth $117 million.