“Pass or Pursue” on 4 recently proposed Boston Celtics trade targets
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics trade target No. 2) Kevin Knox
As we suggested earlier, perhaps one of the most glaring issues that the Boston Celtics have showcased this year has been found within their bench unit, particularly in regard to their overall depth.
Through the first quarter of the season, the Boston Celtics generally find themselves rolling out a semi-shallow eight-man rotation and, of these eight players, perhaps only four or five of them are considered to be well-rounded/ trusty contributors on a nightly basis.
Because of this, Quinn seems to believe that it might be a wise idea for Stevens to consider looking for some semi-high upside players who could wind up providing solid contributions on both ends of the ball, and has listed fourth-year wing, Kevin Knox, as a low-cost option worth considering.
"If Boston wanted to gamble on upside for something in the range of a second-round pick, Knox might make sense. He’s been something of a disappointment as a lottery pick — but could make for a compelling rehabilitation project."
Frankly, Knox has simply had a tumultuous tenure in the league since being selected ninth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Sporting career averages of just 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds on 34 percent shooting from deep, to this point in time the 22-year-old has yet to live up to the lofty expectations that come with being a lottery pick, let alone one that was taken by such a big-market team like the Knickerbockers.
That said, according to recent reports by The Athletic’s Shams Charania (subscription required) there still seems to be a market for the former Kentucky star, likely as a result of his still youthful age, his two-way promise coming into the association, and the fact that it almost certainly would not take much for a franchise to acquire him via trade.
In our humble opinion, a guy like Kevin Knox is not someone the league should give up on — after all, despite his overall poor production thus far into his career he has, in fact, shown flashes of being the player many believed he would when he initially declared for the draft.
That said, at this point in time the forward is best suited to be sent to a team in the midst of a rebuild that is looking to find players who they can try and develop into being potential building blocks, not on a playoff-pushing team like the Boston Celtics who need contributors that can make an impact right away.
Because of this, it is our humble opinion that the shamrocks should look elsewhere in their pursuit for a trade this year.