The New York Knicks were dealt a devastating blow when Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL in his left knee. Now New York has regrouped and is trying to tinker with the roster to try to improve despite losing their star player. After dealing away an unhappy Willy Hernangomez, the Knicks are making moves just with an hour prior to the deadline. Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay is on his way to New York as part of a three-team deal with the Mavs.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN was the first to report the news:
Denver, New York and Dallas agreed on a three-way deal, league sources tell ESPN. Mudiay to Knicks; Devin Harris to Denver and Doug McDermott to Dallas.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2018
Woj later added that the Nuggets will also receive a 2nd-round pick swap from the Knicks. Mudiay, 21, is a risk worth taking for the Knicks. The former 7th overall pick in 2015 has really underachieved with the Nuggets averaging 8.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. Mudiay has the talent to succeed, now we will see if the young guard can put it all together moving forward. Maybe more than anything, Mudiay just needed a change of scenery.
For Denver, the Nuggets are really trying to make the playoffs. Devin Harris isn’t much of an upgrade but does bring a veteran leadership that the Nuggets need. Harris’ numbers are actually worse than their former point guard, Mudiay, who was just traded away. Harris is averaging 8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Harris is on an expiring contract and will be a free agent this upcoming summer.
For Dallas, they get to take a chance on a younger player, Doug McDermott. The former Creighton product can really shoot it from the field with a 38 percent flip from the 3-point line. McDermott is also a restricted free agent this summer but for Dallas, get a younger player in the fold makes a lot of sense. McDermott was also traded at the deadline a year ago when the Thunder acquired him from Chicago.
