John Konchar wouldn't have been among the most important players on the Utah Jazz this coming season, but he is still a useful player. Useful enough that a contending team would have pounced on the chance to add him if the opportunity presented itself. Well, the New York Knicks just did.
ESPN's Shams Charania revealed that, following his trade from the Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who then waived him, the Knicks have scooped him up.
A report from weeks earlier confirmed the Knicks were interested, so without repeating what was already said, this is a slick move for all sides involved. Knicks get a productive player on the cheap, while Konchar gets to play in the best place possible, which could secure him another long-term deal if all breaks right for him and the Knicks.
In all fairness, if Konchar's value was sky-high, Utah wouldn't have traded him in the first place. He's not a star that vaults the Knicks from title contenders to absolute juggernauts. However, Konchar is a Swiss Army knife player that contenders like the Knicks would love to have. Especially if they could come cheap.
This comes with the territory with making these trades, but it's tough to let an excellent team get better at the best time.
Here's to hoping Josh Green is worth it
The Jazz had their reason to trade Konchar and Cody Williams for Green. Green was more of a sure thing than those two, and making the trade helps them save money for when they will likely try to work out Keyonte George's extension next summer. The question is how much better will he be than those two?
It's hard to pinpoint how good Green will be this coming season. The fact of hte matter is that he's been traded three times in the past two years. He was a productive player for Dallas when they made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2024.
The question is will he be good enough to justify ending the Williams era as hastily as Utah just did or good enough to justify potentially fortifying the Knicks this way? It's not like Green should have much pressure as a Jazzman. In fact, the Jazz in general won't face much pressure despite having a higher bar this season.
But, times like these do create an elephant in the room that Utah cannot ignore. Green doesn't have to be a star for the Jazz this season, but he has to be good enough for them to be comfortable with the ramifications of this deal.
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