NBA rumors: Knicks interested in Marcus Smart trade

The New York Knicks, encouraged by the progress they've made as a franchise over the past two seasons thanks in large part to the emergence of Jalen Brunson as a legitimate MVP candidate, have decided to go all-in this offseason. They traded away a boatload of draft capital to bring Mikal Bridges in, and then last week, they pulled off a stunning blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. But the Knicks may not be done making moves quite yet.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns looking at Marcus Smart in a Knicks uniform

With whatever trade assets they have left, the Knicks have reportedly had “internal discussions” about a potential trade for Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart, per Kris Pursiainen of Ballislife. The Knicks reportedly have had “rumored interest” in trading for Smart in the past but “no deal is imminent”, according to Pursiainen.

Now, Smart should not cost too big of a price in a prospective trade, but it should still take at least a first-round pick to at least make the Grizzlies think about dealing away the veteran guard. However, at this point, it seems as though all the Knicks can offer in a potential trade are a paperclip and piece of twine.

The Knicks owe the Brooklyn Nets nearly all of their first-round picks until 2029, and the Nets also hold swap rights over their 2028 first-rounder. All the Knicks can trade at the moment in terms of draft capital is a heavily-protected Washington Wizards first-round pick as well as swap rights over their 2026 and 2030 first-round picks. Will a combination of those assets be enough to sway the Grizzlies?

And then there's the matter of matching salaries as well; as a team that is operating above the first luxury tax apron, the Knicks cannot receive more salary than they give out in any trade. Thus, matching Smart's $20.2 salary for this season will be a pain. Combining Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa gets the Knicks to that number, but that may not be such an enticing proposition to them considering their lack of depth across multiple positions.

The Knicks will have to hope that they hit on some of their lower-end moves, such as bringing in Chuma Okeke and TJ Warren on training-camp deals, before they entertain the idea of gutting the team's depth even further.