Jalen Brunson Sends Subliminal Message About Possible Knicks Trade Target

Getty Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks in action against the Houston Rockets.

Seemingly every season, as soon as a star player is rumored to be available the New York Knicks are found somehow connected as a viable landing spot in the eyes of both the media and a large chunk of the team’s fanbase.

In 2022-23, it appears this trend has continued, as the franchise once again is seen as a viable suitor for a young stud in Trae Young who is rumored to be growing impatient with his current employers, the Atlanta Hawks.

B/R Sources: Rival executives are of belief Hawks guard Trae Young could be next star player to request trade if team doesn’t make inroads come playoff time. More news and nuggets for @BleacherReport: https://t.co/7u9PY3fpjJ

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 22, 2022

Per NBA Insider Chris Hayes, there are league executives who believe that the point guard could be the next star to request a trade what with the Hawk’s underwhelming record of 16-16 to start the season.

Now, while there are no reports that have surfaced suggesting the Knicks are interested in pursuing a deal for Young, recent activity from star Jalen Brunson’s Twitter account suggests the guard may be open to seeing such an acquisition, as he was seen liking a tweet praising a hypothetical backcourt consisting of both him and the All-NBA talent.

👀 pic.twitter.com/yjDQILRiyq

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 23, 2022

Now, while the action has drawn copious amounts of attention, soon after the release of this image Brunson headed straight to the comments section of the post to state that the like was inadvertent and that he’s more than content with the state of the Knicks’ roster.

Lol it was an accident I love my team the way it is 🗽🤞🏽

— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) December 23, 2022

As currently constructed, the New York Knicks reside in the sixth seed out in the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 18-15 while Trae Young’s Hawks are slotted down in the eighth seed despite putting up tremendous averages of 27.6 points, 9.8 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Though Brunson may have gone about and claimed to “love” the team’s core as is, should a player of Young’s ilk be added as his backcourt running mate, there’s no question that the club’s talent pool would subsequently be improved exponentially.

Knicks Could ‘Swing Big’ on Trade Market

Trae Young aside, there have already been several noteworthy names that have been linked as potential trade targets for the Knicks this season, with Bulls star Zach LaVine and Rockets veteran Eric Gordon both being recurring examples.

However, one more intriguing talent has emerged as a possible option for New York, as SNY’s Ian Begley reported that the team’s front office has gone about and contacted the Toronto Raptors regarding the availability of sixth-year wing, OG Anunoby.

“I was told the Knicks at least touched base with Toronto recently, [within] the past few weeks, on OG Anunoby,” Begley said. “Obviously a fantastic young player [and] defender in Toronto. [For] the Raptors, it’s going to be interesting how they proceed with their roster at the trade deadline.

“Knicks have touched base on OG. I don’t know if the talks went anywhere but it tells you a little bit about if the Knicks are going to swing big, where they might look either at the deadline or, more likely, in the offseason.”

Through 28 games played, the versatile two-way wing finds himself amid a career year with the Raptors, as he’s posting stellar per-game averages of 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 47.3% shooting from the floor.

With his production, coupled with the emergence of reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes it is the belief of many that Toronto’s front office could view Anunoby as an expendable commodity and, in turn, could be used in a trade focusing on better filling out the team’s youthful rotation moving forward.

“The entire league wants OG Anunoby. Everybody wants OG Anunoby. If he ever gets traded, the price and picks are going to surprise people because it might be on par almost with what the Cavs gave up for Donovan Mitchell”

– ESPN’s Zach Lowe pic.twitter.com/LyxYZuEfCT

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 20, 2022

As a result, reports are that many teams are interested in trading for the 25-year-old this season and, according to Begley’s sources, the Knicks are one of them.

Lakers Interested in Knicks Wing

The Knicks aren’t the only team looking to make moves this trade season, as Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported on December 22 that the Lakers have some serious interest in acquiring former lottery pick, Cam Reddish.

“As far as whom the Lakers might target? That’s still all over the place,” Woike wrote. “There are people within the organization very intrigued by New York Knicks forward Cam Reddish — a 6-foot-8, 23-year-old wing — who would give the Lakers size on the perimeter, a massive need.

“He’s also a former lottery pick, the kind of reclamation project the Lakers have had some success with this year with a player like Lonnie Walker IV.”

This is by no means the first time the 23-year-old has been linked to Los Angeles, as just a few weeks prior it was revealed by SNY’s Ian Begley earlier in the month that the Lakers were one several teams to be interested in his services.

Per Woike’s report, the Knicks are looking to acquire a first-round draft pick in return for Reddish should he be traded, though admitted that “the asking price is expected to eventually dip” due to his lacking involvement this season.