Knicks Trade Rumors: Bucks Could Pursue Kyle O’Quinn As Milwaukee’s Search For Center Continues

The Milwaukee Bucks are having another good season so far as the team is presently three games above the 0.500 mark. They are fifth in the East right now with an 18-15 slate, and at their current pace would be set for another 40-plus win season.

However, having another average to a good season is reportedly not the goal of head coach Jason Kidd and his crew. With the emergence of the “Greek Freak,” Giannis Antetokounmpo, into one of the league’s hottest young stars, the Bucks are expecting themselves to compete past the first round of the upcoming postseason.

The last time Milwaukee was able to go past the first round was way back during the 2001 NBA Playoffs when the old Big Three of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, and Glenn Robinson were still some of the household names in the league.

Some NBA analysts believe that an upgrade at the center spot is what the Bucks would need to achieve their goal this year.

Rumors had been out in the past month that the Bucks could be targeting big-name centers DeAndre Jordan, Anthony Davis, or DeMarcus Cousins should any of them become available in midseason. Just recently, talks of a potential trade with the Golden State Warriors for either Zaza Pachulia or JaVale McGee have also emerged.

Trending with probable deals for smaller profile big men, Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale suggested a trade that would send Bucks rookie D.J. Wilson and wingman Rashad Vaughn to the New York Knicks for center Kyle O’Quinn.

O’Quinn is in the third year of his four-year, $16 million contract with the Knicks and has a player option at the end of the season.

O’Quinn’s affordable $4.1 million salary is reportedly not the issue for New York. However, trying to manage his playing time together with Enes Kanter and Willy Hernangomez (not to mention Joakim Noah) at the number five position has recently been a challenge for head coach Jeff Hornacek, according to the New York Post’s Marc Berman.

Berman said that the Knicks are “considering alleviating their center logjam,” particularly to give the 23-year-old Hernangomez a more prominent role in Hornacek’s system.

Berman then mentioned some of the other teams that could also have a shot at O’Quinn, namely the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, and Sacramento Kings.