Perhaps the most obvious thing we here at Thunderous Intentions could possibly say is that the OKC Thunder are a team looking to the future.
After trading away the majority of their key players that aided in their Cinderella story postseason run in 2019-20 this past offseason, the franchise has cultivated a plethora of assets — both in the form of players and draft picks — that will help set Oklahoma City up nicely in the long run.
Now, in 2020-21, the team is guided by stud combo guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose production is so impressive that he currently finds himself knocking on the door of history.
Ultimately, the goal for OKC is to keep SGA happy for, if he’s satisfied, fans, the front office, and the coaching staff will be as well.
Sure, one way to make this happen is to surround him with solid players to help guide the Thunder to a victory. However, another way they can do this is to surround the star with people he has personal connections with or, in other words, people that he likes.
One player who certainly fills the latter category, while also having the potential to fill the former, is Gilgeous-Alexander’s Kentucky Wildcat teammate, Kevin Knox.
Kevin Knox may be worth the OKC Thunder taking a flier on
Currently finding himself in and out of the rotation (mostly out) for the New York Knicks, the former ninth overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft (same year as SGA) has looked like an all-out bust during his three-year tenure in the league.
Now, rumors have started to surface suggesting that the Knicks could be interested in dealing their former lottery pick.
Should this be true, we at TI believe Sam Presti and co. may want to consider inquiring about his availability.
Today, we present to you the pros and cons that come with a hypothetical trade for the struggling wing:
Pros of the OKC Thunder trading for Kevin Knox
Like we said earlier, Kevin Knox and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have a relationship that goes back to their collegiate days.
Together, they both managed to play their way into the lottery in the 2018 draft and helped guide the Kentucky Wildcats to an impressive 26-11 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite-Eight.
What’s more interesting about this OKC – Kentucky connection is the fact that the 2017-18 Wildcats also had current Thunder two-guard, Hamidou Diallo.
Now, we get it, Knox has not played well during his time spent in the NBA. Through three years in the league, he is posting underwhelming averages of 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds on just 37 percent shooting from the floor and 34 percent shooting from deep.
However, keep in mind, he was one of the most highly-touted prospects coming out of college in 2018 — even ahead of SGA — after posting per-game averages of 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds on 45 percent shooting from the field and 34 percent shooting from deep while also displaying impressive defensive versatility with his size (6-9, 7-1/4 wingspan) and IQ.
Let’s also not skip over the fact that the man has played for arguably the most dysfunctional franchise in the Knicks. Seeing three different coaches in all three seasons of his career (two of which were just not good at their jobs, though I give Mike Miller a pass) is not something that’s easy for a young player.
Throughout the years, Oklahoma City has proven to be tremendous at player development and, in year one, head coach Mark Daigneault looks as though he’s continuing this trend — examples include Isaiah Roby, Justin Jackson, Kenrich Williams, etc.
Still just 21-years-old, Kevin Knox is simply too young to give up on. Despite the lackadaisical start to his career overall, he has shown glimpses of potentially being a solid role player, especially as a floor-spacing forward — shooting 38 percent from deep this season while converting on 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot long-range attempts.
When you hit rock bottom, the only way you can go is up.
Should New York be willing to cut ties with Knox for a package of a few second-round picks and, say, Ty Jerome, it may be a low-risk flier worth taking if you’re the OKC Thunder.
Cons of the OKC Thunder trading for Kevin Knox
At such a low value, there aren’t many cons to taking a chance on Knox but, nonetheless, there are still a few.
One of the major drawbacks to bringing on the 21-year-old is the potential repercussions it could have on the other wings on the OKC Thunder roster.
This rebuild is all about developing the young talents they currently have in tow. Because of this, guys like Dariuz Bazley, Justin Jackson, Hami Diallo, and even rookie Aleksej Pokuševski from time to time have been able to log substantial minutes within the rotation.
Adding a guy like Knox could have a negative impact on each of these players, as his arrival would certainly cut into their time spent on the hardwood as well as limiting their shot attempts which, in turn, could slow down their development.
Perhaps the other biggest concern of dealing for Knox is the fact that they’d obviously have to give up assets in the deal to acquire him.
While it would likely not take much, per se, as we discussed potentially offloading a few future second-round picks and Ty Jerome, we’ve seen with the likes of Theo Maledon and Diallo — both of whom are proving to be more efficient and effective than Knox — that the Thunder can find impressive players late in drafts.
The third-year forward has played more like a traditional second-round pick throughout his young career rather than a top-20 player, whereas a second-round pick like Maledon has played like a top-20 pick.
Conclusion
If we wanted to lie, we’d go on to say that Kevin Knox’s struggles have been overblown and that we believe he has what it takes to be the sidekick that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been looking for.
That said, we’re not liars — Knox has been bad, nor do we believe he’s a second or third fiddle in a rotation.
That said, we’ve seen many players escape the grasp of New York Knicks development and, in turn, went on to have solid growth spurts, with examples being Danilo Gallinari and Tim Hardaway Jr.
The biggest draws for us at TI is the fact that he’s still only 21 and has that Kentucky connection with both SGA and Diallo.
As we mentioned earlier, coming into the NBA Knox was highly revered by NBA scouts, and often found himself compared to the likes of Tobia Harris and, most recently on our sister site, Daily Knicks, we saw his ceiling compared to that of Otto Porter Jr. and Taurean Prince.
While none of these players are necessarily stars — especially not the latter two — being able to bring on someone with such upside as them for a few late picks and a never-used player is certainly a risk worth taking.
If I’m Sam Presti, I’m calling up Leon Rose to inquire about the young forward.