Knicks players the Chicago Bulls can steal away this offseason: Kevin Knox
The second of the two Knicks players on this list that could definitely make a nice impact for the Bulls bench is the former Kentucky Wildcats star and 6-foot-7 and 215-pound 21-year-old small forward Kevin Knox. It probably would not take too much for Karnisovas and the Bulls to get a trade deal done with the Knicks to add Knox.
If the Bulls are set to lose some forward depth in the form of the impending free agent power forward Lauri Markkanen, they could replace that to some degree by pulling off a trade for Knox. The ninth overall pick of the Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft has yet to make his way into the rotation consistently. And that definitely didn’t come to fruition under head coach Tom Thibodeau this season.
During the 2020-21 regular season, Knox played in just 42 games for the Knicks. And despite posting his most efficient numbers of his career to date, Knox got the fewest minutes per night of his three-year run in the NBA. Knox registered a career best -1.7 box plus/minus, 53.7 true shooting percentage, and .065 win shares per 48 minutes.
Those advanced metrics aren’t too promising on the surface, but the fact of the matter is that Knox could still have a long career in the NBA. And he’s already proven value as a decent rebounder, and a good shooter from deep.
Especially if the Bulls go all out to spend on a point guard like Lonzo Ball, Dennis Schroder, Kyle Lowry, etc., this summer, then they will need to be very cap efficient to fill out the rest of the rotation. If the Knicks are willing to easily part ways with Knox, then this could be a nice addition with some potential left to reach to the forward rotation.