he New York Knicks acted swiftly after losing Immanuel Quickley in the OG Anunoby trade by locking up Miles McBride to a three-year extension worth $13 million.
But the signing of McBride, despite coming alive in the Knicks’ last two wins, might not be adequate for a team with deep playoff run aspirations.
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon is pushing for the Knicks to reconnect with Utah’s Danny Ainge to make a deal, not as large as their failed Donovan Mitchell talks, but a move that could solidify the Knicks playoff rotation.
“Let’s not act like it was a huge bet,” MacMahon said of McBride’s extension on the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “He’s not being paid Sixth Man type of money he’s being paid 10th Man type, 11th Man type of money and I still think that Leon Rose and Gersson Rosas, the Knicks’ front office needs to be on the phone canvasing the trade market, finding other potential replacements for Immanuel Quickley in the rotation.”
“If I’m them, I’m on the phone with the Utah Jazz talking Jordan Clarkson talking Collin Sexton.”
Clarkson was the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year. A microwave scorer, Clarkson is a much more experienced version of Quickley. The 31-year-old Clarkson is averaging 17.2 points and 5.1 assists for the Jazz this season toggling from starting to coming off the bench.
Sexton, the no. 8 pick in 2018, is putting up 15.9 points and 3.9 assists this season.
Both guards are avaliilable, per NBA insider Marc Stein.
Klutch Sports Cents
Clarkson and Sexton are under Klutch Sports, which could derail a potential deal. But ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shrugged off the reported rift between Klutch Sports’ CEO Rich Paul and Knicks top brass Leon Rose.
“I don’t believe that,” Windhorst said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “Look the Knicks just did a deal with the Raptors who were suing them right and vice-versa. In the NBA, you have to do business with who you do business with. You can’t hold grudges like that. It’s just never going to get you anywhere.”
Between Clarkson and Sextton, the older guard is the better fit for the Knicks with his size and more team-friendly contract.
The 6-foot-5 Clarkson agreed to a three-year extension worth $55 million last summer that runs through the 2025-26 season. On the other hand, the 6-foot Sexton is in the second season of a $71 million, four-year deal.
Another Jazz Who Should Be on Knicks Radar
In his Christmas Day substack newsletter, NBA insider Marc Stein pointed to Jazz’s big man Kelly Olynyk as another name that should be on the Knicks’ radar after losing Mitchell Robinson to injury.
“The 6-foot-11 Olynyk, who turns 33 in April, would seemingly make sense as a trade target for the Knicks as well given New York’s acute need for size in the wake of Mitchell Robinson’s ankle injury that is feared to be season-ending,” Stein wrote.
However, Stein also noted that the Knicks’ division rival, Boston Celtics, is monitoring Olynyk’s situation with an eye to a reunion with the Canadian big man.
“Olynyk played his first four NBA seasons in Boston and is playing this season on an expiring $12.2 million deal, which has helped thrust him to the upper reaches of the list of Players Most Likely To Be Traded this season,” Stein wrote.
