The New York Knicks have reportedly approached the New Orleans Pelicans with "feverish" attempts to trade for Yves Missi, only to be told no.
Trey Murphy isn't the only player that the teams are trying to pry away from the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason. NBA Insider Chris Haynes reported on Thursday that the New York Knicks have been "feverishly" trying to trade for Yves Missi, but the Pelicans have stood strong in turning them down.
Missi is reportedly being viewed as a "vital core figure," and that the team has no intention of moving him. It's a bit more certain than the messaging around players like Murphy, where the supposed price has been laid out.
A likely factor is that, while the offers that the Knicks are making haven't been leaked, the expected offers really aren't worth it for New Orleans right now. When Missi was brought up as a potential trade piece back at the last deadline, it was going to be two second-round picks. If that's where New York is coming from, then the Pelicans have no reason to trade him.
Right now, New Orleans cannot afford to be shipping off bigs. Without Missi, they'd be losing their best offensive rebound and rim protector. He doesn't do a ton outside of those two things right now, but he does them well and has shown the potential to be even better.
Missi averaged 5.7 points and 5.8 rebounds with 1.5 blocks per game on 19.7 minutes per night last season. The production and minutes were down from year one, but that was mostly just situation and game plan. He was a far better player in his second season.
The Pelicans' offense was +1.5 points per 100 possessions with Missi on the court. He is an elite offensive rebounder and is great at put-back dunks. They were +5.4 points overall thanks to his defensive benefits.
He is on a very cheap deal and fits the timeline with Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears, should New Orleans eventually decide to blow things up with the veterans. The Pelicans are smart in keeping him around right now.
