That’s right. We’re calling it the Quincy Acy trade. Y’all got a problem with that? I didn’t think so. In any case, if you haven’t heard, the Knicks made a trade yesterday. To recap:
Knicks get: Travis Outlaw, Quincy Acy
Kings get: Jeremy Tyler, Wayne Ellington, protections removed from Knicks 2016 second-round pick
All caught up? Good. Let’s break this down.
The good: Recent reports had the Knicks entertaining the idea of packaging Pablo Prigioni in a deal with Ellington, so hopefully this trade means Prigs is here for the long run. And by long run, I mean forever.
A lot of the immediate reaction to this trade was focused on the alleged second-round pick the Knicks were giving up, but it was later clarified that said pick already belonged to Sacramento. The pick’s protection – picks 31-37 – was dropped with this trade, but the Knicks would have to finish with the seventh-worst record (or worse) in the 2015-16 season to actually keep the selection, so it’s a cosmetic change at the worst. We can argue about whether the Knicks should have received a pick, considering they are taking on salary, but before we go there…
…As fot the players actually involved, Outlaw is an 11-year veteran of the league that is of little use at this point. His PER last year was a 10.4 and he’s turning 30 in a month’s time, but if you’re desperate for a positive slant, he can help in the “veteran experience/leadership/guidance/knows where to find a decent meal in Minneapolis after most of the restaurants have closed” department
Acy was a second-round draft pick in 2012, averaging just shy of 13 minutes a night in 92 career game over two seasons. Acy played for Toronto for about a year and a half before being dealt to the Sacramento Kings. For a better take on his game, we turn the program over to Sam Holako of RaptorsRepublic and Greg Wissinger of SactownRoyalty:
Holako
So the good news for the Knicks is that they didn’t give up a lot (anything?) to get him and Outlaw. The bad news is that depending on how you classify him, he’s either an undersized power forward or a small forward…who isn’t…there’s really no other explanation.
At his core, he is a hustle player who has a nose for rebounding and a great locker room dude, but when I think of his season-plus in Toronto, the first few thoughts in my head were of his antics (cheerleader, NRA spokesperson, dolphins) than of his performance (blocking Dwight Howard at the rim, legendary preseason game).I really wish I had more for you, but aside from doing fairly well when given meaningless minutes late in a lost season, he didn’t show me enough to make me think he would have a long career in the league…good guy though!”
Wissinger:
Acy is a huge value relative to his contract, and should be a fan favorite with the Knicks. Acy is a hard worker above all else. He’s always going to be ready when his number is called, and will always put forth effort on the court. He’s a pesky defender, and will have some emphatic, crowd-pleasing blocks. He’s a solid rebounder. And he can actually shoot a lot better than you’d think. The beard makes you think he’d be another Reggie Evans, but Acy can hit a mid-range jumper with some reliability.
He’s unlikely to ever make the leap and become a star, or even an above average starter, but he’s a fantastic guy to have coming off this bench. And he’s still young. I think Knicks fans will be really happy with Acy this season.
Acy, above all else, is going to be one of the more likable players on the Knicks roster.
His middle name is Jyrome! http://t.co/6DmwFYP3RY
— Jim Cavan (@JPCavan) August 6, 2014
What Quincy Acy does bring is a back-up beard to replace Tyson Chandler
— Scott Davis (@WScottDavis) August 6, 2014
The bad: There’s not a whole lot “bad” here, but a couple of questions certainly come to mind. First off, why did the Knicks so badly want to deal Ellington? He’s a smart player that can knock down the three and is familiar with the triangle. The Knicks were by no means clogged at the two guard spot. It’s now down to just Shumpert/Smith and Hardaway Jr. Trading Ellington – whose contract is expiring at the end of this season – just seemed far from a necessity but was treated as such anyway.
Secondly, what does this mean for Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo? Acy’s a young player too, but an argument can be made that both Early and Antetokounmpo have higher upsides. Sure, the latter was likely going to be stashed overseas anyway, but I was excited to see Early get some burn this season. Instead, it looks like he’ll be battling it out for third string minutes.
Mills on Outlaw: “We really like Cleanthony, but he is a rookie, so we wanted to make sure we had some veteran help at that position.”
— NBA New York Knicks (@nyknicks) August 6, 2014
Giving Travis Outlaw minutes over any young player in a year in which you won’t be competing for a championship is nonsensical. (Hell, you might be better off playing a half-blind pygmy marmoset over Outlaw even if you were competing.) Let’s hope this isn’t the case.
The ugly: We almost lost Pablo Prigioni.
Final verdict: Nothing here moves the needle much, really. Cap space for 2015 is unaffected, the roster balances out a bit and the Knicks didn’t cause any significant self harm. I guess we can call that a victory.
The Knicks traded like the 298th best guy in the league for like the 294th. LET’S FIGHT.
— Kevin McElroy (@knickerbacker) August 6, 2014