A notable NBA insider and former executive surprisingly believes the New York Knicks could wait until later in the year to replace former starting center Isaiah Hartenstein. And it could be with a future Hall-of-Famer from the Western Conference.
This has been a very productive offseason for the Knicks. They made the first blockbuster trade of the summer when they acquired Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges. Then they made a huge splash by agreeing to a very team-friendly contract extension with top player Jalen Brunson.
However, despite the positivity this offseason, they did suffer a major loss when starting center Isaiah Hartenstein took his talents to the Oklahoma City Thunder for $87 million. He left a void the organization has been unable to avoid despite rumored trade attempts in July.
In a new column for The Athletic recently, Knicks reporter Fred Katz spoke with fellow insider, and former Memphis Grizzlies executive John Hollinger about potential targets the team could have to replace Hartenstein. And the long-time executive had a bold suggestion.
Could the New York Knicks trade for Draymond Green later this year?
“If Golden State struggles and decides to make Draymond Green available, or the Suns are in a similar situation and decide to cash in their Jusuf Nurkić stock, those are two names that would make a lot of sense in New York,” Hollinger wrote.
Nurkic seems like a very realistic option. But the Knicks landing Green is a wild scenario. Especially after his negative comments about the team over the last six months. However, if the Warriors do struggle next season, trading him does indeed make a lot of sense.
And considering how the New York Knicks are defensive-driven and we are in a time of undersized centers, a case could be made Green might be the final piece in a title team. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out for both teams.