Knicks Trade Former Ohio State Buckeyes Star In Blockbuster Deal

Former Ohio State Buckeyes star Keita Bates-Diop is on the move.

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves completed a blockbuster trade in which the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns on Friday night, and as part of the deal, New York sent Bates-Diop to the Timberwolves.

This marks the second time Bates-Diop was dealt this offseason, as he was initially acquired by the Knicks in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets (one that sent Mikal Bridges to New York) in July.

While Bates-Diop has never made a major impact on the NBA level, he was a star at Ohio State.

The 28-year-old spent four seasons at Columbus, arriving for the 2014-15 campaign and emerging as a key player in his sophomore year. That season, he averaged 11.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks over 31.5 minutes per game on 45.3/32.4/78.7 shooting splits.

An injury limited Bates-Diop to just nine games during his junior campaign, but in his final season with the Buckeyes, the Bloomington, Il. native registered 19.8 points, 8.7 boards and 1.6 blocks across 33.1 minutes a night while shooting 48 percent from the floor, 35.9 percent from three-point range and 79.4 percent from the free-throw line.

In spite of his impressive collegiate showing, Bates-Diop was not highly regarded as an NBA prospect and slipped to the Timberwolves in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft.

He has also spent time with the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns, owning lifetime averages of six points and three rebounds over 16.1 minutes per game.

This will mark Bates-Diop’s second stint in Minnesota.