The New York Knicks have a perfect opportunity to come out on top of the Eastern Conference this year.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are in their primes, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are doing what they need to do for the team to be legit.
There is only one concern.
Brunson has a sprained ankle and will reportedly be out for another week.
However, he was rumored to leave Madison Square Garden with crutches and a boot after Wednesday night’s game.
Miles McBride has been great for them off the bench, but what they really need is another facilitator, whether Brunson is injured or not.
New York currently averages 27.3 assists per game, good for tenth in the league.
A lot of that starts with Brunson, however, and come playoff time, it may be easier to gameplan when they know Brunson will be the source of their offense.
If they are looking to improve in this area, Mark Nilon of Daily Knicks suggests a trade that could help dilute this issue.
“With Brunson on the sidelines, this team has absolutely plummeted in their production, dropping from a 123.1 offensive rating to a middling 116.8 while placing in the 43 percentile in effective field goal percentage and the 58 percentile in point differential with the All-NBA guard off the floor,” Nilon said Monday.
“Clearly, finding some sort of upgrade to serve as Brunson's understudy on the depth chart would be of great benefit to this title-hopeful club, and (Ty) Jerome could be exactly that.”
Ty Jerome has yet to suit up for the Memphis Grizzlies, but he isn’t very necessary to their team.
Most of the guard minutes are secured by Ja Morant, Scottie Pippen Jr., and Jaylen Wells.
Of course, if he were healthy, he would be in their rotation, but the way the Grizzlies' season is heading, he won’t provide incredible value.
Jerome flourished for the Cleveland Cavaliers and could be a great player alongside Brunson, offering him some relief.
It would take only Guerschon Yabusele, Pacôme Dadiet, and Tyler Kolek financially.
New York should explore this trade if the team wants to maximize its potential of winning a championship this year.
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