LATEST Knicks Trade Rumors: Daniel Gafford rumors, Point Guard pricing, and Quentin Grimes talk

Boomshakalaka! It’s heating up!

Four days remain till we celebrate the one-month anniversary of the historic Anunoby transfer that changed the franchise in New York.

Additionally, the trade deadline is approaching on February 8 in less than two weeks, which means that although front office staff members are constantly charging their smartphones to stay in touch with one another and the Association as a whole, the rumor mill is already heating up.

Over the last several days, two excellent guys from SNY (Ian Begley) and Yahoo (Jake Fischer) have kindly provided us with more information. This information is derived from league executives and other individuals who have access to the internal operations of all 30 NBA teams.

When it comes to trades and rumors, things can get stale fast, so here’s a brief summary of what these two people and a few others at other publishing platforms have shared with the public.

Buzz-making Quentin Grimes on the cutting block
First things first: it appears that the Knicks are committed to trading Quentin Grimes before February 8th or early next summer.

We initially learned two weeks ago that the New York Knicks were apparently actively shopping and making trade offers for third-year guard Grimes. This indicates that the team was interested in dealing the guard.

The Knicks “have taken calls on Grimes as they approach the deadline,” according to Ian Begley of SNY. Begley offered a fascinating tidbit of information that was not quite clear until he divulged the information: the Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, and Utah Jazz were “among the teams with interest in Grimes.”

To varying extents but to quickly summarize:

• Supposedly targeted Hawks: Dejounte Murray, AJ Griffin, Clint Capela
• Supposedly targeted Wizards: Tyus Jones, Daniel Gafford
• Supposedly targeted Jazz: Jordan Clarkson, Kelly Olynyk

Grimes spoke to SNY last Thursday after the Knicks beat the Nuggets, telling them “I’ve kind of been in trade rumors since my rookie year. So I just try to come in every day, do my job, be professional.

“Rumors are going to happen. I just step on the court and try to do everything to help this team win.”

This is intriguing because, according to several reports, the Knicks have expressed interest in dealing players who are now on those teams’ rosters in recent days and weeks.

After this season, Grimes has a one-year contract extension (team option). He is currently making about $2.4 million, but if New York exercises its option to purchase him in 2024–25, that amount will increase to $4.3 million during the following offseason.

It’s important to remember that Grimes and the Knicks will encounter the same circumstance that the team faced with Immanuel Quickley’s extension in October of last year. Grimes has two options: either he signs a multi-year contract before the end of October 2024, or he stays on his current rookie-scale contract until July 2025, at which point he becomes a restricted free agency.

After failing to come to an agreement with IQ, the Knicks sent Quickley to Toronto on December 30 as part of the package that was given to the Raptors in return for OG Anunoby.

Daniel Gafford back on New York Knicks radar?

In the same report, Begley brought back a familiar player that had not been discussed that much of late in Wizards center Daniel Gafford.

Even though the Knicks have one of, if not the best center rotations in the NBA, the truth is that with both Mitchell Robinson (out until the end of the regular season assuming he makes a comeback) and Isaiah Hartenstein (day-to-day) out, the depth chart reads C1 Jericho Sims, C2 Precious Achiuwa. In other words: not great!

A few days ago I wrote a column in which I highlighted four players that all/most reputable insiders out there have linked to the Knicks in potential trades before the deadline in overlapping reports with information coming from similar and different sources. Gafford made the list.

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype was the most vocal linking New York to Gafford in mid-January, while Matt Moore of Action Network also discussed Gafford as a Knicks target recently.

On Friday, Begley revealed sources confirmed to him the Knicks “have Wizards big man Daniel Gafford on their radar.”

Per Begley, “the interest in Gafford comes while New York is dealing with injuries to Isaiah Hartenstein and Mitchell Robinson,” as “there is some concern over Hartenstein’s health and his availability moving forward.”