Undervalued Shooter May Be Ideal for Knicks

The Desmond Bane trade that went down over the weekend not only alerted the rest of the NBA that the offseason had officially started, but also drew a lot of attention to whatever the Memphis Grizzlies were planning.

Their choice to move a fringe-All-Star in Desmond Bane for draft capital and smaller assets indicated that some of his former teammates may be for sale as they evaluate their place in the league. There have already been reports of the New York Knicks' keeping tabs on Jaren Jackson Jr., but he's not the only Grizzly worth monitoring.

According to James Edwards III of The Athletic, Luke Kennard perfectly fits the bill of who the Knicks should be targeting this summer. He's an elite shooter who saw his minutes start to get tossed around as last year's Grizzlies season went sideways, with his fantastic 43.3% 3-point hit rate somehow registering as his lowest since the 2019-20 season.

As Edwards points out, though, he's more than just a specialist.

“The soon-to-be 29-year-old is one of the best shooters in basketball and also sneakily could be a secondary or tertiary ball-handler for New York, which desperately needs that skill set on its roster," he said. "Over the last five seasons, Kennard has made at least 43 percent of his 3s while also attempting at least four per game. He’s a sniper. Plain and simple."

That ability to keep the ball moving and put it on the floor to attack closeouts or advantages is what sets him apart from some NBA journeymen who only know how to catch and fire in a moment's notice. And he's capable of well more than the four threes he hoisted per game in his most recent Memphis campaign, cracking six a game just a year before.

That comfortability from distance would mean a lot to a Knicks bench that otherwise lacks in floor spacers who know what to do when their first read is closed off. Part of why they're so Jalen Brunson-dependent is because of that lack of versatility, which Kennard entered the league with as a lottery pick in the 2017 draft.

The former Duke Blue Devil has done some sightseeing around the league since first landing with the Detroit Pistons, learning how to fit into competitive environments with the Los Angeles Clippers before making his way to the Grizzlies in 2023. Now, on the cusp of turning 29 years old, he'd make for a helpful Knick.