KNICKS GET POINT
ACQUIRE MUDIAY FOR McDERMOTT & PICK
Knicks deal McDermott to add athletic point guard at deadline
TORONTO — The Knicks felt they needed an athletic point guard who can penetrate to open the court for Kristaps Porzingis, and they netted one before Thursday’s trade deadline in Emmanuel Mudiay, the disappointing 2015 lottery pick.
In a three-way deal, the Knicks gave up Doug McDermott, who goes to Dallas. The Knicks also shipped the less favorable of their two 2018 second-round picks to Denver. (The Knicks own the Bulls’ and Clippers’ picks.) Devin Harris goes from the Mavericks to the Nuggets as part of the swap.
“We welcome Emmanuel to New York and are excited to add this talented player to our roster,” general manager Scott Perry said in a statement. “He is a young, athletic guard who we feel will be a valuable addition to the Knicks moving forward.”
The biggest surprise at the deadline is the team didn’t ship Kyle O’Quinn for a second-round pick despite a few feelers. The Knicks also took calls on Courtney Lee, but passed.
The Post reported this week that Perry inquired about the Magic’s Elfrid Payton, who is in a similar mold to the 6-foot-5 Mudiay. Payton was traded Thursday to the Suns for a secondround pick.
“The Knicks feel Mudiay is similar to Elfrid but has better talent potential,” said one NBA executive who has spoken to the club’s brass.
The Knicks now have three lottery-pick point guards to build around in Mudiay, rookie Frank Ntilikina, and Trey Burke (2013). They also have veteran Jarrett Jack. Yeah, it’s a logjam.
Mudiay has underachieved, coming off the bench for the Nuggets the past two seasons, but he is only 21 years old and the Knicks see potential improvement. In 17 minutes per game, he is averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds for the speedy Nuggets, who shopped Mudiay to the Knicks during last spring’s draft. Mudiay’s outside shot is suspect, and he also has had some trouble finishing around the rim.
“It’s way too early to judge Mudiay because point guard is the
toughest position,” former Nuggets scout Jared Jeffries told The Post this season.
A 3-point shooter obtained in the Carmelo Anthony trade, McDermott has seen his game slide since mid-December, coinciding with Michael Beasley’s emergence. McDermott averaged 7.8 points on 46 percent shooting — 37 percent from 3-point range — and is going to be a free agent.
Coach Jeff Hornacek spoke about Mudiay after the Knicks’ 113-88 loss to the Raptors, during which the trade became official.
“He’s a big body, strong and can handle the ball, get in the lane and find guys,” Hornacek said. “He’s got a good sense of the game. When we have guys open, they’re probably going to get the ball.”
Ntilikina, who finished with five points and five turnovers Thursday, hasn’t shown much in the way of being a penetrator who can kick the ball out. The Knicks also have Burke, and team officials like that he can score in many different ways, but he isn’t big enough to be able to dish inside. He had 12 points in 13 minutes with three assists against the Raptors.
Hornacek likes the idea of Ntilikina playing off the ball in a two point-guard set. The Knicks see Ntilikina as being comfortable defending shooting guards, as he’s been able to get through screens in the limited time he has played off the ball.
Hornacek said of the pointguard logjam: “It just gives us a chance to play a couple of those guys together — we’ve done it already with Trey and Frank.”
The Knicks passed on Mudiay in the 2015 draft in favor of Porzingis. The Post reported after that draft that Mudiay was relieved because he didn’t want to play in the since-abandoned triangle.
Mudiay lost his starter’s job in Denver to emerging Jamal Murray and reportedly stopped talking to the press this season.
The Knicks also inquired about Guerschon Yabusele, a 6-9, uberathletic power forward/center from France. He was the Celtics’ first-round stash pick (No. 16) in 2016 and played last season in China. He’s not in the Celtics’ rotation this season, appearing in 22 games, but his name bears
watching on draft night as the Knicks want to get more athletic.
There are reports there will be a robust buyout market after the deadline, and the Knicks have an open roster spot after moving Willy Hernangomez to the Hornets on Wednesday for two second-round picks. Perry said they planned to waive Johnny O’Bryant, who also was acquired from Charlotte. The Knicks also could use the open roster spot to sign a Westchester Knicks player such as Nigel Hayes.