OKC Thunder: 3 George Hill deadline deals to pursue

Trade No. 2) OKC Thunder swap the aging veteran for a struggling youth

Next on the list, we see George Hill heading to the Big Apple to link up with the surprisingly competitive New York Knicks.

Boasting their best first-half record since the 2012-13 season, the New York Knicks are looking to snap their current playoff drought at seven seasons. As things currently stand, they are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 19-18 and have won five of their last seven outings leading into this past All-Star weekend.

Now, as they look to continue their winning ways and, in turn, gear up for the second half of the season, New York’s front office may wish to swap out their underutilized/ unwanted assets for players that can actually aid in their quest to compete.

Hill could be a great addition to this coy 3-point shooting team and traditional point guard-less rotation.

One player who we believe could be on the table in such a transaction is third-year wing Kevin Knox who, in recent weeks, has caught our attention as a second-chance player the OKC Thunder should consider targeting.

Citing his connection with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander coupled with his raw skill set, in a piece we penned on this potential pairing, we discussed our belief that Oklahoma City and their impressive development team could be the key to tapping into Knox’s potential:

"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."

The former eighth overall pick has struggled during his tenure in the NBA to date.

However, his potential is certainly worth taking a gamble on, even if it means having him come back as the main attraction in a deal for George Hill.