The New York Knicks will look to get better before the NBA trade deadline. As the team has played their best basketball in recent seasons, this could finally be the year that the front office tries everything they can to win a championship. while still a difficult task, the Knicks have talent on their roster that can be contributors to a championship team.
There are ways for them to get better at the deadline and they’re expected to pursue them. According to Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News, the Knicks have shown interest in former All-Star Gordon Hayward.
“Gordon Hayward is a popular buyout market candidate linked to the Knicks given head coach Tom Thibodeau has praised Hayward to the media ahead of tipoff in each of the two games against the Charlotte Hornets this season.”
Hayward, averaging 14.5 points this season, could be an above-average starter or 6th-man for the Knicks. As Winfield alludes to, Hayward is a potential buyout candidate, which could be the ideal scenario for New York.
Gordon Hayward Could Be a Potential Buyout Candidate
Gordon Hayward has dealt with injuries in recent seasons that have slowed his career down. The former All-Star used to be one of the better players in the NBA before he dealt with these injuries. However, a contending team will certainly take a chance on him, even more so if he’s bought out.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, he’s likely to get moved before the deadline.
“He’s a wing player that is absolutely for the taking that I think — on an expiring contract — has more likelihood than ever to get moved,” Fischer said on The Trade Deadline. “That being said, because of the expiring, a lot of teams are looking at Hayward as a buyout possibility.”
“Gordon Hayward is absolutely for the taking, that on an expiring contract has more likelihood than ever to get moved…
A lot of teams are also looking at Hayward as a buyout possibility.”
(via @JakeLFischer) pic.twitter.com/ni8rBhOIV7
— The Trade Deadline (@_TradeDeadline) January 13, 2024
Tom Thibodeau Is a Gordon Hayward Fan
A new look could be exactly what the 33-year-old needs. The Charlotte Hornets have consistently been one of the worst teams in the NBA since he’s arrived and perhaps joining a contender brings his old game back. At the very least, Hayward can give a team 20-plus minutes off the bench and be a microwave type of scorer.
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks head coach, has long been a fan of the game Hayward plays, dating back to as early as 2021. According to Ian Begley of SNY, Thibodeau said the following about Hayward in January of 2021.
“We looked at all the free agents. And so, we’ll just leave it at that but we know how talented he is,” Thibodeau said. “We had him rated pretty high on our board. There were a number of (top) guys who we thought would fit us. It didn’t work out this time. And we’ll see how it works out in the future.”
Despite how long ago these comments were, Thibodeau had nothing but positive things to say about the forward.
“His playmaking ability is really what stood out to me,” Thibodeau said of what he saw from Hayward when coaching against him. “There’s a lot of guys who get points, but they’re not high assist guys. He’s always been a high-assist guy. He reminded me of Jimmy Butler in that way in terms of his decision-making and ability to make other people better. And that goes a long way.”
