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The Knicks are trading for Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw

Is there more coming?

By Seth

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Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

From Sam Amick:

The New York Knicks will trade guard Wayne Ellington, forward Jeremy Tyler and a 2016 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for forwards Quincy Acy and Travis Outlaw, people with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

Note that this can't be done outright at this moment because Ellington can't be packaged in another deal until August 25. They could divide into smaller deals or just wait. Removing the protection on a future second-rounder is minuscule as long as the Knicks aren't one of the league's worst teams in 2016 (which would be nice), but kind of an unnecessary price to pay for such a nothing deal.

Looking at just the players, I see a lateral move. Financially, it's an almost perfect wash. Outlaw and Ellington have one nearly identical guaranteed season left on each of their contracts.  Acy's deal is like Tyler's, except his guarantee clause has already kicked in. He'll become a restricted free agent instead of an unrestricted one (like Tyler would have if the Knicks kept him) in the summer of 2015.

Basketball-wise, I see Outlaw as kinda comparable to Ellington, but bigger, older, and worse-- more of a rebounder and slasher, not as much of a shooter, unmistakably on the downslope of his career. If the Knicks wanted to swap some "two" depth for some "three" depth, then I guess they did that, albeit with a decrease in quality.

Acy is like Tyler's inverse, as far as I can tell (and after having just watched both of them play in Summer League). Smaller and not nearly as ambitious offensively-- a strict rim-dweller whereas Tyler likes to step out as well-- but much more energetic, and apparently more on track to be a defending/rebounding type. Also, much beardier. Acy's got a righteous beard. The numbers don't bear out the rebounding stuff, by the way:

(Note that the Outlaw-Ellington comparison is just last season because of their difference in age and experience. Tyler and Acy's numbers are full-career.)

Acy's fun as hell, anyway. He's the part of this trade I like.

This is a quick and severely inexpert appraisal, but I think the Knicks just got very slightly better on defense and slightly worse at playing Triangle offense. And they got a very fun player in Acy and a no-fun player in Outlaw while giving up an unfamiliar guy in Ellington and a guy whose novelty had worn off in Tyler. And they lost a little sliver of toehold in a future draft if they happen to suck in two years. I dunno. This is a little, odorless fart of a trade. I guess the Knicks and Kings were bored. We'll see what's next, if anything.

Update: Amick's story previously included a section about "more pieces" being involved, but that's no longer there. I still suspect they're not done, and so does Frank Isola:

On one hand, that's scary. On the other hand, this deal by itself wouldn't make much sense.

Update: This trade is official as described above.

Update: Hmm.

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