Knicks Should Trade for Mavericks Guard

The New York Knicks need a point guard after Cam Payne and Delon Wright left the team in free agency.

The Knicks have Tyler Kolek, but they could benefit from a potential upgrade.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley listed Dallas Mavericks point guard Jaden Hardy as someone who could benefit from a trade.

"The 23-year-old Hardy had some eye-opening moments early in his Mavericks tenure. In a different developmental situation, that might've been enough to lock him into the team's long-term plans—or at least have the chance to do so," Buckley wrote.

"But with Dallas perpetually chasing win-now goals and always having at least one scoring guard around to lead that charge (first Luka Dončić, then Kyrie Irving and for much of the time both), Hardy's handling has felt more like a back-burner item for this franchise.

"Buoyed by both a rapid first step and a typically accurate three-point shot (career 38.1 percent), he can look like a three-level-scorer-in-training. Inconsistency is an issue, and decision-making can be, too, but again he's 23 years old and has just a hair over 2,600 minutes on his NBA odometer. That's to be expected."

Hardy is buried in a Mavericks depth chart at point guard that features Kyrie Irving, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum, so Dallas could look to trade him this offseason.

The Knicks could be a candidate because of their need for a point guard, but Hardy would come at a price.

His three-year, $18 million deal has shades of Miles McBride's team-friendly contract and the Mavs could possibly ask for him in a potential trade. The Knicks shouldn't trade McBride for Hardy, as it would be a downgrade.

If the Mavs wanted Kolek, it's something worth considering. However, who is to say Kolek won't figure things out in his second season.

A trade for Hardy would give the Knicks another dynamic guard, but the team has to be willing to sacrifice something for him and that's where things get dicey.