Knicks predicted to land two-time NBA champion big man in trade with Raptors | Sporting News

The New York Knicks could be looking to acquire a two-time NBA champion before February’s trade deadline.

The Knicks have obvious needs at center, and they might place a call to the Toronto Raptors about a six-foot-nine big who formerly played for the Golden State Warriors and was also a G League star, winning both the NBA G League MVP and G League Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

That player is Canadian baller Chris Boucher, who has already won titles with Golden State (2018) and Toronto (2019).

On Sunday, Sports Illustrated’s Jed Katz identified Boucher as a top trade target for the Knicks.

“The New York Knicks are in desperate need of center depth, as backup center Mitchell Robinson will continue to be out for at least the next month with an ankle injury,” Katz said.

“Boucher has been more of a forward for the Toronto Raptors throughout his career, but the 6-foot-9 big can play both power forward and center. A career Raptor, Boucher holds key advantages to Robinson and (Precious) Achiuwa in his position.”

“Boucher is more durable and athletic than the two bigs in New York. He can push the floor with or without the ball in his hands, scoring most of his points in the paint.”

“The second strength of Boucher is his three-point shot. The 31-year-old is shooting 30.3% from deep this season, and although it’s not great, Robinson and Achiuwa do not shoot threes at all. Acquiring Boucher would prove a new dimension of offense to the Knicks’ bench.”

“Toronto is still not at the level of a playoff team as it continues its rebuild. The Knicks could offer salary fillers with draft picks to entice a team that has built a young core that way for the past few years.”

Boucher is in the final year of his three-year, $35.3 million deal. He becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

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