Houston Rockets Receive: F Obi Toppin, F Cam Reddish, G Kemba Walker
New York Knicks Receive: C Christian Wood, F Jae’Sean Tate
We suggested that New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau may find himself pulling his hair out coaching Wood on the defensive end. Here, we’re sending Jae’Sean Tate along with him to help ease the pain.
Tate is a stout, effortful defender. He may be 6’4, but his 230-pound frame and low center of gravity allow him to play the four spot convincingly for stretches. He makes a defensive impact at either forward position. That type of versatility is invaluable in today’s NBA.
He’s also a year away from restricted free agency. In fact, so is Cam Reddish. Both of these teams would be making this trade with the knowledge that they’d soon have decisions to make. Assuming the Knicks don’t intend to rebuild, they should also each prefer to find themselves swapping those decisions.
The Houston Rockets get a look at 2 players who are younger than the ones they’re sending out here. That’s a smart decision in their current circumstance. As for the Knicks, they’re effectively swapping Toppin for Wood and Tate here. They don’t use either Cam Reddish or Kemba Walker anyway.
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If they’re not interested in this exchange, that means one of two things. Either they’re using one or both Toppin and Reddish to broker a bigger swap, or they intend to trigger a rebuild. If neither of those conditions holds, this deal should make them more competitive next season.
