Why not Brandon Knight?

[NMThreeMVP]

The cost to acquire Brandon Knight might be nil; we're talking QPon and maybe a conditional future 2nd round pick.

He's a player that has been stuck in a bad spot after showing a lot of ability and potential at PG up until this season. The move to Phoenix and primarily playing SG has been a failure.

The question I'd have is whether or not the best of Brandon Knight from his last year in Milwaukee and first year in Phoenix, is something the Pelicans coaches could get out of him in Alvin Gentry's system. He's a high IQ player and the Phoenix situation has been weird to say the least. At their best, a Knight and Holiday pairing would be very dynamic, with either player being able to excel in pick and roll or spotting up off the ball.

Knight is owed 3 yrs/$43.8m, but that's a relative bargain, as he's only projected to be the 28th highest paid PG in the league.

[Andynola]

Why not? -

1- Shopping list of career injuries,
2 - Very weak in almost every defensive category
3- Has the ability to make smart passes but for some reason will not
4 - High turnover ratio
5 - Inconsistent shooter

[Topdawg26]

I would rather Bledsoe. I think he could be had for a similar package.

[Butters]

Let's add Bledsoe...more ex-Kentucky players.

[luckyman]

Count me for Bledsoe.

[Kumar]

The cost to acquire Brandon Knight might be nil; we're talking QPon and maybe a conditional future 2nd round pick.

He's a player that has been stuck in a bad spot after showing a lot of ability and potential at PG up until this season. The move to Phoenix and primarily playing SG has been a failure.

The question I'd have is whether or not the best of Brandon Knight from his last year in Milwaukee and first year in Phoenix, is something the Pelicans coaches could get out of him in Alvin Gentry's system. He's a high IQ player and the Phoenix situation has been weird to say the least. At their best, a Knight and Holiday pairing would be very dynamic, with either player being able to excel in pick and roll or spotting up off the ball.

Knight is owed 3 yrs/$43.8m, but that's a relative bargain, as he's only projected to be the 28th highest paid PG in the league.

You have to make salaries match for starters. And more importantly, Knight might be the worst non rookie player in the league. Awful contract, awful player who has no place on this team. You could do so much more with roster spot/ money/ assests whatever it would take to acquire him.

[donato]

This works straight up. Why not do this? I'd throw in a second rounder. His shooting % is a little nasty...but he might actually get some play time whereas Asik...:

http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=l9fggke


I've never seen a trade where both teams were so negatively affected from a 'Holinger's Analysis W/L' perspective in the trade machine.

[HoustonRox]

I would rather Bledsoe. I think he could be had for a similar package.

He's older than Bledsoe and a worse injury history. He gets a knee surgery every other year basically.

He's also going to become a UFA after next season and is going to get overpaid like crazy. The man has Derrick Rose type knees imo.

[HoustonRox]

Why not? -

1- Shopping list of career injuries,
2 - Very weak in almost every defensive category
3- Has the ability to make smart passes but for some reason will not
4 - High turnover ratio
5 - Inconsistent shooter

His injury history isn't that bad especially when compared to Holliday.

Performance wise he's been garbage in Phoenix but he used to be pretty damn good with Detroit and Milwaukee. I just think the Suns aren't a good fit for him because it can't be that he just lost all his basketball talent after coming to Phoenix.

He was an All Star caliber player in his last season with the Bucks and even had NBA stars like Dwayne Wayne lobbying for him to make the All Star game iirc.

[NMThreeMVP]

You have to make salaries match for starters. And more importantly, Knight might be the worst non rookie player in the league. Awful contract, awful player who has no place on this team. You could do so much more with roster spot/ money/ assests whatever it would take to acquire him.

None of this is true. Literally, none of it.

[NMThreeMVP]

You have to make salaries match for starters. And more importantly, Knight might be the worst non rookie player in the league. Awful contract, awful player who has no place on this team. You could do so much more with roster spot/ money/ assests whatever it would take to acquire him.

You don't have to match salaries if you're under the cap.

Knight is better than Frazier.

He's projected to be the 28th highest paid PG in the league next year.

Phoenix tried to play him at SG. He's not a SG.

i.e. None of what you said was true.

[Mythrol]

None of this is true. Literally, none of it.

I mean. We do have to match salaries.

[NMThreeMVP]

I mean. We do have to match salaries.

Not if we have cap room. We can do an uneven trade. Which means the salaries don't have to match.

[N.O.Bronco]

Call me crazy but of the realistic options given our cap space and unmovable contracts, I would be ok with Darren Collison and Joe Ingles this offseason if we keep Jrue.

Hear me out.

Both are top 10 in the league in catch and shoot threes. How many games do you win with Cousins if we just had more guys that can consistently hit open threes our big men can get them? Two guys that are roughly 44% at that metric.

Both are above average passers at their position. With Jrue seemingly more like a SG then true PG, putting a true PG and a more consistent SF that can move the ball seems smart. The ball movement should be some of the best we have had in years.

Both play above average defense as well. Both have experience playing on teams built around big men and have had success with it.

[Mythrol]

Not if we have cap room. We can do an uneven trade. Which means the salaries don't have to match.

As the Pelicans stand now, we would have to match salaries.

[HoustonRox]

You have to make salaries match for starters. And more importantly, Knight might be the worst non rookie player in the league. Awful contract, awful player who has no place on this team. You could do so much more with roster spot/ money/ assests whatever it would take to acquire him.

Knight wouldn't even be the worst non rookie player on the Pelicans, much less the entire league...

[AD23nEG10]

brandon knight could have a really low price this season. Right before being traded to the suns he was having an all star year in Milwaukee. I'd be interested if it was just a salary dump - Asik's contract is shorter. If we strike out in free agency i'm curious if they'd be interested in something like just getting Knight's money off the books faster

[Kumar]

None of this is true. Literally, none of it.

You need to make room to fit in Knight. As it stands, that room doesn't exist. In order to make room you need to dump contracts/ stretch Asik. Then you have the leverage to create an uneven trade. So you are spending resources to create room for... Brandon Knight? A guy who has never been a plus in the league. A guy who ranks 458 out of 460 in RPM.

He has no place on this team because he is an awful defender. Inconsistent shooter. Not a great playmaker. He barely brings anything to this team for the price and resources it will take to get him.

Which part of what I have said is not true?

[Kumar]

Knight wouldn't even be the worst non rookie player on the Pelicans, much less the entire league...

The only player who's contract : productivity ratio on the Pels who is worse is Asik. Knight is a flat out terrible player.

[NMThreeMVP]

As the Pelicans stand now, we would have to match salaries.

As the Pelicans stand now, they can't make any trades because it's pass the trade deadline. What are we debating here?

The Pelicans can operate below the cap this summer and make uneven trades, therefor saying they have to match salaries is incorrect. They don't have to. They can operate below the cap and make a trade work while sending back something like QPon's contract.

[NMThreeMVP]

You need to make room to fit in Knight. As it stands, that room doesn't exist. In order to make room you need to dump contracts/ stretch Asik. Then you have the leverage to create an uneven trade. So you are spending resources to create room for... Brandon Knight? A guy who has never been a plus in the league. A guy who ranks 458 out of 460 in RPM.

He has no place on this team because he is an awful defender. Inconsistent shooter. Not a great playmaker. He barely brings anything to this team for the price and resources it will take to get him.

Which part of what I have said is not true?

He's not good when asked to defend SGs, but has been good defending PGs and his career TS% is better than Mike Conley. He's neither an awful defender or an inconsistent shooter.

Obviously a guy that a team would be literally giving away isn't a perfect player. I'm not picking the Brandon Knight hill to die on. But I do think he could be an interesting alternative to trading a 1st for Rubio if we create space, and he is a better player than RPM would indicate.

[Topdawg26]

Call me crazy but of the realistic options given our cap space and unmovable contracts, I would be ok with Darren Collison and Joe Ingles this offseason if we keep Jrue.

Hear me out.

Both are top 10 in the league in catch and shoot threes. How many games do you win with Cousins if we just had more guys that can consistently hit open threes our big men can get them? Two guys that are roughly 44% at that metric.

Both are above average passers at their position. With Jrue seemingly more like a SG then true PG, putting a true PG and a more consistent SF that can move the ball seems smart. The ball movement should be some of the best we have had in years.

Both play above average defense as well. Both have experience playing on teams built around big men and have had success with it.

Yes to Ingles and maybe to Collison. Would rather Rubio over him.

[wnelson]

the question is who does AD want....

[PelsFan2313]

He's not good when asked to defend SGs, but has been good defending PGs and his career TS% is better than Mike Conley. He's neither an awful defender or an inconsistent shooter.

Obviously a guy that a team would be literally giving away isn't a perfect player. I'm not picking the Brandon Knight hill to die on. But I do think he could be an interesting alternative to trading a 1st for Rubio if we create space, and he is a better player than RPM would indicate.

If we're talking about acquiring him within the context of uneven trades, I can think of a lot of other players I would rather use the cap space on (granted we don't which players are and are not available). That's mostly a reflection of how negatively I feel about Knight as a player and as a fit.

On another note, Bledsoe has been my dream target for a while now. But I think people here are significantly underestimating his price tag at the moment, particuarly given his level of play this year. I think he can be had. But there's no way he's being had for a similar package as Knight, as a previous poster suggested. Knight has one of the most undesirable contracts in the league. Bledsoe, meanwhile, is on a great contract and is a much better player.

[N.O.Bronco]

Yes to Ingles and maybe to Collison. Would rather Rubio over him.

Here's my logic, we need to maintain our defensive power, which Rubio helps with, but we need three guys around Davis and Cousins that can hit open jumpers.

Collision is currently third best in the league at catch and shoot threes of players that have taken at least 100 this season.

My main problem with Rubio is cost and fit. He is expensive, but while he is having a nice stretch, he is t much of a shooter. That would leave us with really no reliable three point threats in the starting unit unless Q-Pon has a miraculous recovery.


Edit: Misstated that Rubio isn't expensive, he is.