The New York Knicks have need for another bench piece to give their second unit an offensive spark and the Houston Rockets may have just the guy for the job.
Knicks: Rockets place Jae’Sean Tate on trade block
Forbes’ Evan Sidery recently reported that the Rockets are open to trading reserve forward Jae’Sean Tate. The Knicks could pull off a low-risk, high-reward move to land a talent who could bring shot creation to their lineup.
Tate is stuck in a crowded depth chart on the wing out in Houston. The former 2021 NBA All-Rookie First Team honoree is averaging 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in a mere 5.9 minutes per game. However, he averaged 11.3 PPG and 5.3 RPG in his rookie campaign and followed that up with 11.8 PPG and 5.4 RPG as a sophomore.
Tate could bring offensive edge to the Knicks’ bench
The Ohio State product has not shot below 47.2 percent from the field in any of his five seasons in the Association. He’d be an efficient offensive weapon that can score inside the arc and crash the boards, even on the offensive side of the glass. The 29-year-old is not the best outside shooter in the land, but he is tenacious when bulldozing his way to the rim, something the Knicks could use on many levels.
Given that Tate is on an expiring $7.6 million deal this season, New York could bring him to Broadway, see if he can channel his play from his earlier days in the league, and have the flexibility to either resign him to a new deal next offseason or cut bait.
