NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks Intended To Get Malik Monk Prior To Deadline, Source Claims
Weeks after the NBA trade deadline, a new report claiming that the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks had actually discussed trading Malik Monk has emerged.
According to Kevin O'Connor of the NBA Ringer Show, although the Knicks picked point guard Frank Ntilikina during the trade deadline, the New York team had already set their eyes on Monk as the Hornets were ready to let him go.
"Prior to the deadline, I heard he was somebody that they were listening to offers for already ... I heard some noise the Knicks were going for him prior to the deadline. It's odd, maybe they've soured on him quickly," Connor said in the podcast.
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It is interesting to note that, months prior to the trade deadline, Monk was convinced that he would be chosen by Knicks. After all, he trained for the draft in New York, and the Knicks was supposedly impressed with his performance.
"They told me I was a shooter, a great shooter. They were just really trying to tell me to learn how to work off the triangle. They were trying to teach me concepts about the triangle...You know you want to go No. 1 pick anyway. So whoever don't pick you, you're going to remember that. I mean, they're going to see," Monk told New York Daily News in August last year as he shared that he had dinner with the Knicks.
Some opine that Charlotte's decision to listen on offers is strange, and it can be an advantage to the Knicks in the event that they continue their trade talks once the offseason arrives.
With an average of five points for every 12.1 minutes of the game, Monk displayed a disappointing rookie season with the Charlottes, a shooting average that has been partially due to a surprising 33.9 percent shooting average from three-point range. However, whether the Knicks or any other NBA team is willing to gamble on the rookie, a potential trade cannot be expected to happen until this summer.
Will Monk eventually find his place in the New York Knicks? Only time will tell.
