Knicks Rumors: Third Team Needed To Facilitate John Wall-To-New York Trade

It's not a coincidence that the Rockets also have a veteran point guard that they are eyeing to get rid of since the 2021 NBA offseason in John Wall. Wall may have been fully recovered from his injury, but he's yet to play a single game in the 2021-22 NBA season. Before the season started, Wall has reached an agreement with the Rockets that he won't play until they find him a new home.

However, recently, Wall has expressed his desire to rejoin the Rockets on the court. With Walker out, the Knicks are currently in need of a starting-caliber point guard, making some people think that they could be interested in adding Wall to their roster.

Unfortunately for the Knicks and the Rockets, a straight swap featuring Wall and Walker won't work under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. With the huge difference in their salaries, Adam Kester of Fansided's Daily Knicks believes that the Knicks and the Rockets would be needing to find a third team to facilitate a potential blockbuster trade involving Wall.

"In terms of John Walls’ value, while he’s still a good player at a premium position, his contract is so obscene that it really makes him a net-negative asset," Kester wrote. "The Knicks shouldn’t be giving up anything valuable in a straight-up swap for John Wall. If a deal would somehow fall into place, it would need another team involved."

Trading for Wall would be a huge gamble for the Knicks. Aside from his numerous health issues, his massive salary is expected to affect the team's salary cap flexibility until the summer of 2023. However, if he could regain his All-Star form and manage to stay away from any major injury, Wall would undeniably be a great addition to the Knicks.

Having an All-Star version of Wall would significantly improve the Knicks' performance on the offensive end of the floor. He would give them a very reliable scoring option, an incredible playmaker, and a decent floor-spacer. Last season, he averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.L.?

Despite their decision to get rid of Walker, the Knicks are in no rush to find a new starting point guard on the market. When they removed Walker from their rotation, Thibodeau promoted Alec Burks to the starting lineup. So far, Burks has been impressive on both ends of the floor.

In his first two games as a starter, he's averaging 24.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. Also with Walker out, the Knicks are also able to give more playing time to young guard Immanuel Quickley.