As reported by Marc Berman of The Post, if Knicks president Leon Rose makes the leap for 35-year-old Chris Paul, he may have to give up Kevin Knox, according to an NBA source.
The Thunder are motivated to take on Paul and his massive contract after deciding on a rebuilding campaign after Billy Donovan’s firing. Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti will likely want a first-round pick and a prospective young client in his rookie contract, several league officials believe.
According to the source, that young player is preferably Knox, the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft coming out of a disappointing second campaign.
The Knicks have a treasure trove of first-round picks to deal with (seven first-round picks in the next four drafts). However, the belief is that they would rather keep 20-year-old Knox out of any Paul scenario and offer one of their 2017 point guards, Frank Ntilikina or Dennis Smith Jr., limited free agents in 2021.
The Thunder already have their future point guard in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are not big Smith fans.
If the Knicks eventually give up on Knox and Julius Randle in a deal with Paul, Carmelo Anthony will likely try to come back to the rescue and join Paul in being their little starter or mighty.