The rumored trade sending Rajon Rondo from the Lakers to the Cavaliers now looks to be a three-way deal, with NBA insider Shams Charania reporting that third team is the New York Knicks.
Per Shams and several other reports, the Knicks will receive Denzel Valentine – who was slated to go from Cleveland to Los Angeles in the original iteration of the deal – and $1.1 million while the Cavs get Rondo and the Lakers get the draft rights to two unknown players.
Further, SNY’s Ian Begley reports that only $550K of Valentine’s 2021-22 salary is guaranteed, but his full salary of $1.94 million will become guaranteed on January 10. The Lakers were rumored to be ready to waive Valentine immediately after making the original deal, but now the Knicks will have to make that decision.
The timing could be fortuitous for the Knicks, however, as they have three games this week (before Jan. 10) and are still without several players due to injury and COVID protocols.
The Knicks are also reportedly signing Ryan Arcidiacono to a 10-day contract with a “strong possibility” he is signed for the year per Shams, and Knicks Film School’s Jonathan Macri, a frequent guest on WFAN’s Bank Shot podcast, tweeted his thoughts on a potential timeline for all the Knicks’ moves:
Valentine, who was selected 14th overall by the Bulls in 2016, spent five seasons in Chicago before moving to Cleveland this season. He has played 22 games off the Cavs’ bench, averaging 2.9 points in 9.3 minutes per game.
According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks jumping in on the deal basically benefits everyone; the Cavs get Rondo, the Lakers get the open roster spot they wanted and save $4 million in salary and luxury tax on Rondo’s deal, and the Knicks get $1.1 million to be an intermediary.
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