Analyst: Knicks Should Trade For Kings Guard

The New York Knicks are going to head back to the drawing board after losing in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers made a trade for Tyrese Haliburton from the Sacramento Kings, and that has kickstarted their ascent towards being the top team in the Eastern Conference.

Therefore, the Knicks should look into trading for a Kings guard in order to gain some success. Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley named Kings guard Keon Ellis as a trade target for the Knicks.

"Ellis probably sits somewhere on the optimistic end of New York's trade budget. If he's obtainable, though, he might be a no-brainer target," Buckley wrote.

"That might sound like high praise for folks who haven't kept close tabs on the Kings, since Ellis only became a full-time rotation player during last season's final stretch. He has since excelled in his nightly role, though, energizing that group with relentless on-ball defense, consistent shot-making (47.9/42.9/80.5 career slash line) and a pinch of playmaking."

"He wouldn't radically reshape the Knicks or anything, but that's not what they need. He'd make them better at things they already do. His perimeter shot would be a real weapon, and he'd add to the disruption and switchability of a wing rotation already featuring Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart."

"Ellis' trade cost is tricky to pin down, particularly because he'll potentially be a tremendous contract value ($2.3 million team option). As long as it's not outlandish, it's worth a long conversation among New York's decision-makers."

It might be hard for the Knicks to give someone up of equal value to Ellis, who is on one of the best contracts in the league, and that's why the Kings should hold onto him for now unless a team blows them away with a trade offer this summer.

Maybe the Knicks should be that team that makes a move.