New York Knicks

The Kemba Walker experiment with the New York Knicks has come to an end after just one season.

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, the Knicks traded Walker to the Detroit Pistons along with center Jalen Duren, who was selected 13th by the Charlotte Hornets in Thursday's NBA draft.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pistons sent a 2025 first-round pick via the Milwaukee Bucks to the Hornets in the deal. The Knicks' compensation wasn't reported, but NBA insider Marc Stein speculated that New York made the move to shed salary for its pursuit of free agent Jalen Brunson.

Wojnarowski also reported Walker could be bought out and become a free agent.

Walker was signed by the Knicks last offseason in what was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming for the New York native. He had become a free agent after receiving a buyout from the Oklahoma City Thunder, who acquired him earlier in the offseason in a trade with the Boston Celtics.

A slow start by Walker caused Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau to drop him out of the rotation Nov. 27. The four-time All-Star was averaging 11.7 points and 3.1 assists with 42.9 percent shooting in 18 starts.

After a series of injuries and absences because of health and safety protocols, Walker was put back in the starting lineup Dec. 18. He played much better with 19.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game with a 38.5 three-point percentage in six starts.

Walker became the seventh player in NBA history to record a triple-double on Christmas Day when he had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a 101-87 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

A knee injury forced Walker to miss nine games from Dec. 31 to Jan. 17. Durability has been an issue for the 32-year-old in recent years. He has missed at least 16 games in each of the past three seasons.

Walker played 13 of the next 15 games, averaging 8.1 points and 3.4 assists, but the Knicks announced Feb. 23 that he would be shut down to get ready for the 2022-23 campaign.

Wojnarowski reported then that the Knicks and one of Walker's agents, Jeff Schwartz, could work to find trade partners in the offseason.

Walker would be best in a role that doesn't require him to be the focal point of an offense at this stage of his career. He was effective with the Knicks, particularly as a three-point shooter (36.7 percent), but his overall performance was erratic.

Given the state of the Pistons' rebuild, it would be a surprise if Walker isn't bought out and allowed to pursue opportunities once free agency begins.

If Kyrie Irving is looking to opt out of his contract with the Brooklyn Nets to sign a big multiyear deal, then he might want to think twice.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Thursday on Get Up that "no teams [are] making moves right now to try to clear space to try to make a path to give Kyrie Irving a big contract."

Windhorst added that the New York Knicks' pursuit of a point guard is focused more on either trading up to land Purdue's Jaden Ivey or clearing salary-cap space to sign restricted free agent Jalen Brunson.

On Monday, The Athletic's Shams Charania first reported on the "impasse" between Irving and the Nets, with the Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers listed as potential suitors were he to leave Brooklyn.

Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer followed up Tuesday and reported sides "still have ground to cover for both sides to emerge content on extension conversations." Whereas Irving wants a longer contract, the Nets prefer a short-term deal with incentives.

Windhorst explained Thursday how "Kyrie's intentions in looking elsewhere is really to apply pressure to the Nets, not that he wants to leave anywhere."

Coming off Brooklyn's first-round sweep to the Boston Celtics, the seven-time All-Star gave the impression he intended to return, though he sent similar signals before in what proved to be his final year with the Celtics.

The Nets don't have a ton of leverage because losing Irving in free agency or a sign-and-trade inevitably means getting worse. They don't have the cap space to sign another star, and trading Irving probably means taking 50 cents on the dollar.

And if Irving were to go, it would have potentially significant consequences. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that some teams are "rooting for Irving to opt out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire [Kevin] Durant."

The trouble for Irving is that he doesn't have a ton of leverage, either.

The 30-year-old's stock is as low as it's ever been. His decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine limited him to 29 games in 2021-22, disrupted the Nets' season and furthered the perception he's somebody you can't depend on if he's supposed to be one of your top stars.

The limited number of franchises projected to have a lot of cap space doesn't help Irving.

From an outside general manager's perspective, there might be little appetite to make a series of trades—likely losing draft capital in the process—in order to give a massive contract to a player with Irving's recent track record. And the extent to which Irving actually wants to leave is unclear too, so all of those moves could be in vain.

As much as Charania and Fischer's reporting planted the seeds for a potentially messy divorce, the Irving saga could have a rather anticlimactic ending with him staying right where he is.

If the New York Knicks can trade up during the first round of Thursday night's 2022 NBA draft, it reportedly may be in an effort to select guard Shaedon Sharpe.

According to SNY's Ian Begley, Sharpe "has had fans in high places" in the Knicks organization, which could compel New York to attempt a trade up from No. 11 overall.

The Knicks have also been linked heavily to Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, with Begley reporting this week that New York has considered offering the Sacramento Kings multiple first-round picks in exchange for No. 4 overall with a potential eye toward selecting Ivey.

The 19-year-old Sharpe committed to play college basketball at Kentucky, but the plan had been for him to sit out the 2021-22 season before suiting up in 2022-23.

Instead, Sharpe entered the draft without playing a single minute of college basketball when it became clear that he would be a lottery pick and potentially even a top-five selection.

In his final 2022 NBA mock draft, Bleacher Report NBA draft expert Jonathan Wasserman mocked Sharpe to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7 and Ivey to the Kings at No. 4, leaving the Knicks with Duke wing AJ Griffin at No. 11.

If the Knicks do make a play to move up for Sharpe or Ivey, Begley opined that it could be costly in terms of assets, with New York possibly having to surrender multiple first-round picks and one of Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley or Quentin Grimes.

That price could be worth it if the Knicks believe Sharpe or Ivey have superstar potential to go along with another budding star in R.J. Barrett.

Last season was a disappointing one for the Knicks, as they went 37-45 and missed the playoffs after making the playoffs the previous year, but Barrett's development was a major positive.

The 2019 No. 3 overall pick averaged career highs with 20.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 three-pointers made per game.

If the Knicks can land Sharpe, he could be an ideal fit next to his fellow Canadian in Barrett.

While there would be some risk involved with using a high pick on Sharpe after he sat out a year, the 6'5" guard has long been coveted by colleges and NBA teams alike, ranking as the No. 3 overall player and No. 1 shooting guard in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2021 recruiting class.

Sharpe was also compared to Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Zach LaVine by 247Sports recruiting analyst Eric Bossi, which makes sense given that the Knicks have been linked to LaVine at times in recent years.

The Knicks are in danger of falling even further out of contention if they don't make a big splash this offseason, and moving up in the draft for an elite talent like Sharpe would fit the bill for what they need.

The New York Knicks might be prepared to match the "significant price" it would take to acquire the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft from the Sacramento Kings, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

"People in touch with Sacramento say that in the club's conversations with New York, the Knicks have talked about offering multiple first-round picks in a package for the No. 4 pick," Begley reported Tuesday. "I don't know which players were offered, but it wasn't enough to lock a deal in."

Begley cited Purdue's Jaden Ivey as one target for the Knicks if they do trade up.

Ivey averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a sophomore with the Boilermakers. He also shot 46.0 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.

In his post-combine big board, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked the 6'4" guard as the No. 4 overall prospect in this year's draft class:

Ivey going in the top three seems like a long shot, but there was some buzz in Chicago about scouts and teams who have him as high as No. 2. There is no topping his explosiveness off the dribble, and over the past year, his improved handles and vision have helped him maximize the effectiveness of that burst. Ivey's development as a shooter and decision-maker will ultimately determine how valuable of an NBA guard he becomes. He made some nice strides with his jump shot, though a cold final two months from three does raise questions after he struggled from deep as a freshman.

With Ivey and RJ Barrett, the Knicks would have a dynamic pair of young stars who can either lead the franchise forward themselves or help New York fare better in free agency than it has in recent years.

Regardless of whether Ivey was the pick, if the Knicks trade multiple first-round picks, it could carry major implications, most notably toward Kyrie Irving's potential free agency.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday that Irving and the Brooklyn Nets are at an impasse in contract negotiations. The seven-time All-Star can become an unrestricted free agent if he declines his $36.9 million player option for the 2022-23 season. Charania mentioned the Knicks as a possible landing spot if Irving leaves Brooklyn.

Executing a sign-and-trade for the 30-year-old might be more difficult for the Knicks without a full arsenal of draft capital. Selecting Ivey would seemingly take them out of the Irving market as well since those moves would point to two different areas of focus from the front office.

For the New York Knicks, the 2022 NBA draft is something that they can't afford to get wrong.

With that in mind, their current No. 11 pick isn't good enough or rather not "safe" enough, so they're doing what they can to move up in the draft.

But even if they're able to do it, who would they select?

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the player that the Knicks and a few other teams have their sights set on is Jaden Ivey.

"That No. 4 pick that the Sacramento Kings hold is very much in play. There are a lot of teams trying to get deals done with Sacramento so they can move up to select Jaden Ivey," Wojnarowski said. "That’s teams close to them in the lottery who are five and six [the Pistons and Pacers], the New York Knicks at No. 11, Washington Wizards at No. 10, and even some teams outside of the lottery."

The NBA Insider also mentioned that the Kings know that there's a significant drop-off in this year's draft after Ivey is taken following the top players on the board—like Auburn's Jabari Smith, Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren and Duke's Paolo Banchero—so their asking price for the pick could create a bit of a bidding war.

"Sacramento’s asking price to move in there is going to be significant. They see this as essentially a four-player draft," Wojnarowski added. "Their GM, Monte McNair, you can expect him to be on the phone this week. Jaden Ivey is certainly a point guard that several teams in the league in the lottery and out who'd like to get at him. They've already talked to Sacramento, they'll continue to do that next week."

Last season, the 6'4" point guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Purdue and helped them make it all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Saint Peters, who was on an incredible Cinderella run in the tourney.

Ivey has elite athleticism and speed but is mostly known for his ability to attack the rim and score the ball from deep.

During his sophomore campaign, he shot 35.8 percent from beyond the arc, which makes analysts believe his game will translate at the next level and give him the ability to help any team that needs a point guard.

With the ageing of Derrick Rose, the decline of Kemba Walker and the inconsistency of Immanuel Quickley in New York's corps of floor generals, they are definitely one of those teams.

But if Ivey has so much upside, why would Sacramento want to pass on him?

In this case, it's not so much that California's state capitol's favorite team doesn't want him, it's that he doesn't want them.

According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the Kings aren’t Ivey’s preferred destination, so it's easy to see why McNair might be taking the "if you don't want me, I don't want you" approach with the former Boilermaker.

Sacramento also has a lot invested in point guard De' Aaron Fox, and it inexplicably traded away "next in line" playcaller Tyrese Haliburton during his second year in the league.

Haliburton went on to play for the Indiana Pacers, where he's flourishing as the starting member of their backcourt, averaging 17.5 points and 9.6 assists for the team last season.

Considering how the Kings dealt with Haliburton, there's no way of predicting how they'll handle the No. 4 pick leading up to the draft.

But one thing's for certain, the Knicks are keen on making a deal if the price is right.