New York Knicks NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: Kyle O'Quinn Expected to Opt Out After the Season
The New York Knicks will likely have to move backup center Kyle O'Quinn at some point this season.
According to the New York Post's Marc Berman, the Knicks are under the impression O'Quinn's going to opt out of the final year of his contract after the 2017–2018 season.
Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing for the Knicks because a lot of teams actually prefer to acquire a player who's going to leave after a season because they want to free up salary cap space. That shouldn't hurt his trade value. However, teams would still want to know for certain if he wants to opt out or not before they acquire him.
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"I wouldn't put it past the Knicks to portray O'Quinn's opt out as more of a certainty than it is in order to facilitate a trade," NBC Sports' Dan Feldman said in his report.
Of course, the Knicks don't necessarily have to trade him right now since they are still fighting for a playoff spot. However, they will likely place O'Quinn on the trading block if they start to fall out of contention by February.
"O'Quinn, who outplayed Hernangomez defensively in training camp to earn the backup center job, is 27 — older than the Knicks sweet-spot age of 25. Unwilling to pay him major bucks with their investment in Enes Kanter and Hernangomez, the Knicks would like to get either a draft pick or a 25-and-under prospect for O'Quinn, especially if they become a playoff long shot by the trade deadline," Berman said.
Furthermore, the Knicks will really have to consider moving O'Quinn elsewhere if they want to keep Willy Hernangómez for the long-term because the Spanish center isn't exactly thrilled with his diminished role with the team this season.
O'Quinn is averaging 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and one block in under 17 minutes a game this season.
