Kevin Knox traded to Trail Blazers as part of multi-team deal

Kevin Knox was traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Golden State Warriors ahead of Thursday’s NBA trade deadline — where he stayed for about 10 minutes.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported shortly before the 3:00 p.m. EST deadline that Knox, a 6-foot-7 wing, will be re-routed to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team deal with includes James Wiseman heading to Detroit and Gary Payton II returning to the Warriors.

Knox becomes the third former Wildcat traded before the deadline. He joins Jarred Vanderbilt (who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night) and John Wall (who is off to the Houston Rockets once again, where he’s expected to be waived) as Kentucky players finding new homes.

The Pistons are sending F Kevin Knox to the Warriors as part of the multi-team deal that brings them James Wiseman, sources tell ESPN. Knox may be moved onto a new team.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

The Warriors are routing Kevin Knox to the Blazers via multi-team deal with the Pistons, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/VmxEAWCPNh

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023

It’s been a rocky career in the pros so far for Knox, who is only 23 years old but is about to play for his fourth NBA team in just five seasons. He was a lottery pick out of college after spending the 2017-18 season with Kentucky, where he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year. The New York Knicks picked him with the 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Knox actually enjoyed an impressive rookie season in the Big Apple, starting 57 of 75 games played for the Knicks, averaging 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per outing while shooting 34.3 percent from three-point range. Unfortunately, he failed to continue that success and was relegated to the bench the following season. His role was reduced even more in year three before he was ultimately traded in 2021-22 to the Atlanta Hawks, where he played just 17 games to finish out the season.

This past offseason, Knox signed with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent, inking a low-risk two-year, $6 million deal that included a team option in the second season. He played 42 games for the Pistons (which hold the Eastern Conference’s worst record at 14-42) this season, including one start, but his minutes were erratic. Knox mainly came off the bench early in the season for Detroit before making his way into the rotation during November and December. However, he fell back out of the lineup at the beginning of January.

This will be another opportunity to make a fresh start for Knox as he looks to find a steady home in the NBA.