NBA Trade Rumors: Teams Willing To Deal For Underused Dennis Smith Jr

Dennis Smith Jr. is one player on the Knicks' fold that has hardly gotten his game off the ground. Part of the celebrated Kristaps Porzingis trade, the 22-year-old had hardly been given the chance to shine this NBA season. And it appears interim head coach Mike Miller has no plans of giving him that chance.

Smith made his first start this NBA season against the Indiana Pacers last weekend. The Knicks won, 92-85, but it appears this was a temporary setup. Smith started in place of Elfrid Payton who was serving a one-game suspension for shoving Jae Crowder of the Memphis Grizzlies last week. Also, Frank Ntilikina is dealing with a groin injury, the New York Post reported.

But it appears Miller plans to send Smith back to the bench with Payton returning to the lineup. It appears he is happy with the performance of the 25-year-old guard thus far. Hence, trading Smith to some team who could give him better exposure makes plenty of sense.

Two teams interested in Smith are the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic. Somehow, the former seems like a plausible destination. The T-Wolves are practically out of it with a 15-33 card over in the Western Conference. Taking in Smith will likely be part of their plans to rebuild. The only legitimate guard there right now is Shabazz Napier.

For the Magic, adding another guard makes little sense. They have Markelle Fultz D.J. Augustine and Michael Carter-Williams. Unless they have plans of changing it up, adding Smith could be no better than where he is right now. So far, Augustine has been linked to several teams in need of a point guard. That list includes the Los Angeles Lakers.

Regardless, it is pretty clear that Smith wants a change of scenery. In a previous post, it was mentioned how the 9th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft prefers to move on to another ballclub. Several unnamed teams have allegedly inquired. It was not mentioned if the T-Wolves and the Magic were part of that group.

This season, the numbers of Smith are down. He has played in only 25 games, averaging 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per Basketball-Reference.com. Holding career averages of 12.9 points, 3.2 rebound and 4.6 assists, there is no question that Smith can do better with more playing time with a team that recognizes his talent.