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Knicks monitoring Bradley Beal, Victor Oladipo

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The Knicks did not make Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina or any of their first-round picks available in Super Bowl Sunday’s Derrick Rose trade, The Post has learned.

Even though Knox and Ntilikina are out of the rotation, the Knicks are saving as many young assets as possible so they can have enough for a future significant deal.

The Knicks – as well as several other teams – are monitoring the situations of shooting guards Bradley Beal and Victor Oladipo. The Knicks (11-15) get an up-close look at both players in a Friday/Saturday back-to-back.

The Knicks face Beal’s Wizards (6-15) Friday in D.C., then host Oladipo and the Rockets (11-13) on Saturday.

The Wizards superstar always seems a step away from being put on the trading block, and league executives think it’s more a matter of when, not if.

“Eventually I think the Wizards will (trade him),” one NBA executive said. “They want to treat Beal right. I think Beal will get frustrated enough to ask for a trade and they will accommodate him.”

One league executive also wonders if the Wizards would trade Beal to an Eastern Conference team.

The already available player – and much less costly one – is Oladipo, the new Rockets star whom Houston obtained in the James Harden blockbuster. Sources contend they are amenable to trading Oladipo, since he’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

If the Knicks seized Oladipo, it will show Knicks GM Scott Perry still has lots of power in the organization. Perry drafted the University of Indiana product in Orlando with the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft.

“The Knicks were definitely sniffing around Victor when he was with the Pacers,” one NBA source said.

Knicks president Leon Rose is said to be not as high on Oladipo’s future, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau still is looking for roster upgrades because of their scoring woes, league sources affirm.

The 6-4 shooting guard is averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He’s still only 28 and trending in the direction of being over his quad-tendon knee surgery.

The Knicks are monitoring the situations involving the Wizards’ Bradley Beal (l.) and the Rockets’ Victor Oladipo (r.)
NBAE via Getty Images (2)

As it stands, Beal wants to remain in Washington and the Wizards have no desire to move him. Beal, 27, doesn’t become a free agent until 2023. The drawback for Leon Rose’s Knicks is he’s repped by Mark Bartelstein – not Creative Artists Agency.

If Beal is put on the block entering the March 25 trading deadline, the Knicks would be among the bidders.

Beal entered the Wizards’ Wednesday game against the Raptors averaging a league-high 33.3 points per game and shooting 47 percent. Beal is also averaging 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

RJ Barrett, the No. 3 pick in the 2019 draft, is part of the Knicks’ future, but still hasn’t shown enough to cement himself as a definitive future All-Star.

As much as Thibodeau likes his two-way game, scouts around the league still are concerned about whether Barrett’s athleticism is considered elite – not just his 3-point shooting.

The Knicks prefer not to put Barrett in any Beal deal, however, and feel they have stocked up enough futures.

Aside from lottery picks Knox and Ntilikina, they potentially have two lottery picks in this year’s draft, plus Detroit’s precious second-round pick. That potentially could be the 31st pick overall in a draft that is considered strong.

In addition, the Knicks have two first-round picks in 2023 and multiple 2023 second-round picks.

When the Knicks were doing all their dealing before and after the draft in November, it was with the mindset of collecting extra draft compensation to use in a blockbuster for a player such as Beal.

If Washington waits to trade Beal this summer, the Knicks will have even more cap space to inherit his contract. Even now, the Knicks have $15 million of room following the Rose-for-Dennis Smith Jr. swap. That makes a Beal/Oladipo trade easier to consummate because of cap mathematics.

Now that veteran point guard Rose is aboard and already has shown life in those 32-year-old legs, Thibodeau is going to want more.

The Knicks have made their win-now mentality clear. Patience went out the window when former Knicks president Steve Mills was ousted one year ago. Leon Rose was hired ostensibly to hire a win-now coach, Thibodeau.

Thibodeau and senior VP William Wesley, who steered Rose to John Calipari’s Memphis Tigers, engineered the Rose deal. Thibodeau downplayed it, saying he was presented with a handful of names – probably Lonzo Ball and J.J Redick among them.

With Derrick Rose getting his wish to leave Detroit, Ball no longer makes sense. The 36-year-old Redick seems like a lateral move with the more versatile and younger Alec Burks in place.

Sources confirm Redick would prefer a trade to either the Nets or Knicks, as his family still lives in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn.

“I think Leon and Wes and Scott, they’re in constant communication with all the teams in the league,” Thibodeau said. “That’s all part of this business. You talk about a number of possibilities, you look at it, the pros and cons, what it could add, but there’s a number of players that were discussed.”

If Rose continues to excel like he did in Tuesday’s debut, the Knicks may consider moving Elfrid Payton and/or Austin Rivers to alleviate a logjam. Payton has increased his trade value and has drawn some interest, sources say. Rivers is out of the rotation until there’s an injury to Thibodeau’s new top 10.

“Austin’s been around, he’s a veteran,” Thibodeau said. “He’ll stay ready. He’s situational. Usually things work out. When he’s called upon, I know he’ll be ready to go.”

Rivers was also a teammate in 2018-19 of Beal, who will again have a chance to feast on the Knicks Friday.

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Derrick Rose thinks the world of Knicks rookie Immanuel Quickley

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Derrick Rose still “can’t believe’’ he’s a Knick again, his top choice, back with Tom Thibodeau and even Knicks senior vice president William Wesley, who was involved in him attending Memphis.

And he sounded delighted he can serve as a mentor to Knicks rookie point guard Immanuel Quickley — his backcourt mate off the bench.

In his first remarks to reporters since the trade, Rose said after the Miami loss he thinks the world of Quickley.

“It shouldn’t be too hard with him,’’ Rose said. “We’re similar. He’s getting double-teamed in his rookie year. There ain’t too many rookies getting that type of attention. For him to see that kind of early, it’s just going to make his game better. The game is going to slow down more. And he listens. That’s the greatest thing about him, he listens. With that, you always got room for improvement. He’s a dog. He’s a dog. I can’t explain it. You’ve got to be a player to understand it. We’re in a fight, I know he’s fighting.’’

After the morning shootaround, Quickley revealed Rose spent dinnertime with him and fellow rookie Obi Toppin.

Derrick Rose; Immanuel Quickley
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“He just stressed to me — first of all he gave me his number — said anything I need just hit him,” Quickley said. “But he sat down with me a little bit, me and Obi actually, just told us he’s here to help us, he’s here to help us grow and things like that. It’s good to get a chance to talk to him a little bit last night.”

Rose reflected on his first stint in New York with Jeff Hornacek and Phil Jackson. Hornacek tried to get Rose to shoot more 3s but he wasn’t comfortable. Rose said he’s a better 3-point shooter now and hit 2 of 3 in his second Knicks debut.

“I was kind of being stubborn,’’ Rose said. “They wanted me to like shoot 3s and everything, but I felt like at the end of the year teams were going to judge me off of me being effective and my efficient rate. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t shoot 3s, and if you looked at the team at the time, we had Melo [Carmelo Anthony] and KP [Kristaps Porzingis], so I feel like I didn’t have to shoot 3s. My job was to push the ball and make sure that they got going. Years later, I feel like I’m adapting. … I’m more of a threat now where you can’t go under screens anymore. I’m trying to push the ball, and I’m kind of letting the game come to me and stopped forcing it.”

Now it’s his third stint with Thibodeau.

“It’s family here,’’ Rose said. “ I got Wes here. I got Thibs here. I got everybody that I’ve had success with here, laying down a foundation.’’

Several title contenders made offers for Rose, but he confirmed The Post’s report the Knicks were his top choice.

“Of course,’’ Rose said. “Even though I couldn’t say that at the time, I just wanted to be comfortable. I’ve been knowing these guys ever since high school, eighth grade, high school. I never really thought about anything else but really getting here and understanding they wanted me to help grow the young guys they’ve already got here.’’

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Tom Thibodeau could be eyeing Knicks reunion with Zach LaVine

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As president/coach of Minnesota, Tom Thibodeau once dispatched Zach LaVine to Chicago in a 2017 trade for Jimmy Butler.

But the Knicks coach sounded like he wouldn’t mind reuniting with the current Bulls shooting guard, noting his improvement. There’s speculation the Bulls would put LaVine on the trading block before he becomes a 2022 free agent. That could be before March’s trade deadline, this summer or at the next trading deadline.

The Knicks need more scoring and LaVine is a sniper — one of the best dunkers in the NBA. He’s averaging 26.8 points and 5.3 assists. SNY reported over the summer LaVine would be on the Knicks’ radar.

The biggest edge the Knicks would have over many teams interested is they have $18 million in cap space to absorb a big contract without giving away much salary. He’s one of many players on the Knicks’ radar, sources contend. Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf could be hesitant to deal LaVine to Thibodeau considering his Bulls’ breakup was ugly.

Before Monday night’s 110-102 loss to the Bulls, in which LaVine scored 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting with five rebounsd, Thibodeau was asked about LaVine’s progression since he dealt him out of Minnesota. Ironically, Butler’s addition to Minnesota created friction with the young players and led to Thibodeau’s dismissal two years ago.

Zach Lavine
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“He’s continued to grow I think each year,’’ Thibodeau said. “I think sometimes we tend to forget the steps that players take to get to the point to where they are today. and for Zach, he started off, I think he scored around 13 or 14 points a game his first year. Then there was another four-point jump. Now he’s up to 26, 27. He’s shooting 50, 40, 90. He’s an elite shooter. He’s a great athlete. … But he’s a great guy, a hard worker. So you knew he would continue to improve. He’s playing at a very high level.’’

The Knicks also have a trove of draft picks to deal, including two first-round picks this year.

Bulls first-year coach Billy Donovan recruited Julius Randle when Donovan was at Florida. Randle chose Kentucky. Now, Randle is having a career year and shooting well from the 3-point line (37.5 percent) and may be on the verge of making his first All-Star team.

“Thibs is putting him in situations playing to Julius’ strengths,’’ Donovan said. “He’s a handful in the low post. He’s got great feet and ball-handling ability. He’s worked hard on his shooting. He’s shooting the ball much better. Earlier in his career he’s a guy you left alone and try to jam the paint. Now he’s making midrange, 3s, puts it on the floor. He’s a heckuva driver…. He continues to evolve and grow as a player.’’

Donovan coached Knicks backup center Nerlens Noel the last two seasons at OKC. Like Randle, he also recruited Noel but lost him to Kentucky. Noel, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Knicks in November, missed his second straight game with knee soreness.

“I loved him,’’ Donovan said. “I recruited him coming out of high school. A lot of these NBA guys I never got. He’s a terrific teammate and love the way he plays the game with great shot-blocking ability. He sees the floor well for a big guy. He was great for us at OKC. He gave us an incredible two years there — all about the team.’’

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Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis trade looks less disastrous now

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Clippers forward Marcus Morris visited the Garden for Sunday’s matinee on the two-year anniversary of the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Morris now has been added to the Porzingis trade analysis.

Thank you, Immanuel Quickley.

This was Morris’ first Garden visit since being dealt West last February and comes in as a bench player for the Clippers, backing up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Morris had been the No. 1 scoring option during the 2019-20 Knicks debacle.

While Porzingis’ Mavericks are in a dangerous slide, Morris’ presence is another symbol that the Porzingis blockbuster two years ago is not the disaster as previously reported.

With the season gone astray, the Knicks front office vigorously debated whether to trade Morris or keep him and try to re-sign him.

They look to have made the correct call, dealing Morris to the Clippers for the 27th pick. That became the 25th pick and was turned into Quickley. The rookie sensation has the organization wondering if they have their starting point guard of the future – if not the present.

The Knicks would not have had the cap space to sign Morris to a one-year, $15 million pact in the summer of 2019 without trading Porzingis.

That the narrative is changing is startling, considering the failings of point guard Dennis Smith Jr., whom the Knicks have decided to put in the G league bubble with coach Tom Thibodeau currently having no use for the 2017 Mavericks lottery pick.

Immanuel Quickley
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Yet even with Smith’s demise, the trade is looking a lot better. Porzingis’ Mavericks have lost five in row and eight of their last 10 games to fall to 8-12.

If the season ended today, the Knicks would be seeded 11th in the lottery courtesy of the Mavericks. The Mavericks gave the Knicks an unprotected 2021 pick and a 2023 first-rounder. The Knicks entered Sunday tied for the No. 8 seed, but there still is a chance they have two lottery picks for the 2021 draft.

The alarming part of the Mavericks’ losing is Doncic appears fed up, questioning whether his teammates want to win.

“Terrible,” Doncic said. “There’s really not much to say. I never felt like this. We gotta do something, because this is not looking good and we gotta step up and just talk to each other and play well better than this. It’s mostly effort. … I would say right now it’s looking like we don’t care, honestly, if we win games or not.”

When the Porzingis trade was made, some league insiders were slightly concerned, knowing the egos of Doncic and Porzingis. The Mavericks were not on Janis Porzingis’ wish list he gave Steve Mills – perhaps knowing the Mavericks already had their face of the franchise.

The Porzingis brothers were trouble in the eyes of Steve Mills and Knicks GM Scott Perry and they tried to cut their losses before he became a restricted free agent.

The extra cap space provided by the trade did not net their two big fish – Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But it did haul in Julius Randle and Morris. They didn’t make a perfect forward tandem last season but Randle played a lot better once Morris was shipped out in February.

This season, Randle has exploded, deserving major All-Star consideration in powering the Knicks to a 9-11 start after 20 games entering the Clippers match. Randle, 26, was averaging 22.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and six assists.

Smith’s journey has gone the opposite route. “The G League is a very valuable tool,” Thibodeau said Sunday before facing the Clippers. “You see it used more and more by virtually every team in the league. You get a lot of out of practice but playing time is important. I think it will be great for him. His attitude has been very positive.”

Smith, the Knicks say, requested the move. Ironically, The Post reported previously ex-player developmental director, Craig Robinson wanted to put Smith into the G League last season but Perry rejected the notion. Sources say Perry was fearful Smith’s reps would be angered.

Smith has been relegated to two garbage-time cameos since he came back from a quad injury first week of January. Earlier this week, Thibodeau mentioned his options at point guard but didn’t mention Smith.

Kristaps Porzingis
AP

When Thibodeau was hired, he vowed to use the G League more liberally. Smith now goes to the bubble where other teams can see him play and perhaps his trade value will increase.

Meanwhile, Porzingis, who is 25 and missed the first nine games after knee surgery, is averaging 18.6 points, eight rebounds and less than one assist per game. The 7-3 Latvian has never been as good a passer as advertised coming out of the 2015 draft.

With rookie lottery pick Obi Toppin hardly a sure thing to turn into a power-forward standout, the Knicks are looking at Randle through a new lens – not as trade bait. The question is how Dallas is viewing Porzingis now.

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Knicks’ Immanuel Quickley dominates in win over Cavaliers

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Immanuel Quickley dropped face down on the court and made a swimming motion with his arms and legs after nailing his third of five 3-pointers Friday night.

The electrifying rookie point guard helped the Knicks make their way back upstream after three straight losses to end their recent road trip, scoring 25 points in 23 minutes off the bench, including 14 in the fourth quarter, in a 102-81 win over Cleveland at the Garden.

The Knicks (9-11) held All-Star big man Andre Drummond to just four points — albeit with 15 rebounds — in another strong defensive effort, despite nine combined fouls between centers Mitchell Robinson and Nerlens Noel.

Darius Garland had 24 points for the Cavaliers, who scored just 37 in the first half and 55 through three quarters. The 81 points were the second-fewest points allowed by this Knicks this season, behind only the 75 they held the Celtics to on Jan. 17.

RJ Barrett contributed 24 points, Austin Rivers added 13 off the bench and Julius Randle finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who will face the Los Angeles Clippers at home on Sunday.

Immanuel Quickley, who scored 25 points, goes up for a shot during the Knicks’ 102-81 win over the Cavaliers.
NBAE via Getty Images

Quickley, who continues press starting point guard Elfrid Payton (two points in 23 minutes) for playing time, also converted the Knicks’ first 4-point play of the season with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The 25th overall pick out of Kentucky had shot just 1-for-11 from the floor in Tuesday’s loss in Utah, one game after notching a career-high 31 in the previous game in Portland.

Robinson had said before the game that he was focused on his matchup with Drummond, who dominated in a 106-103 win over the Knicks on Jan. 15 with 33 points and 23 rebounds.

“Oh definitely. Tonight I’m going to play a whole lot smarter. Going to come out here and get after it, give my best,” said Robinson, who scored six points and committed five fouls Friday night.

Robinson also was minus-15 in Tuesday’s loss in Utah and outdone on the stat sheet by All-Star center Rudy Gobert (18 points and 19 rebounds).

Asked if he envisions eventually putting up numbers like Drummond’s and Gobert’s, Robinson added: “I know I can defend. I don’t really compare myself to other players. I mean, I’m worried about our team. Other players, they can talk about whatever they want to talk about. I’m just talking about us as Knicks.”

The Knicks missed eight of nine shots and spotted Cleveland a quick 13-3 lead, but Rivers and Quickley combined for a dozen points during a 16-4 run for a two-point lead by the end of the quarter.

Randle didn’t attempt a field goal until there were four minutes left in the second quarter, but his 19-foot jumper, two dunks by Robinson put the Knicks up 38-31. Two drives and a corner three by Barrett extended the Knicks’ lead to 14, and they carried a 47-33 lead into intermission.

Drummond had just four points in the half, but Noel was whistled for three fouls and Robinson had two, prompting the first appearance for veteran big man Taj Gibson — albeit for just one minute — since he signed to return to the Knicks on Jan. 7.

The Cavs shot just 29 percent from the floor and were 2-for-10 from 3-point range through two quarters, but Sexton and Garland combined for 16 points in a 19-2 surge to open the third to help close the gap to 52-49.

The Knicks reheated with a 12-1 run to close out the quarter, however, including a baseline dunk for a three-point play by Quickley and a late three by the rookie point guard for a 72-55 lead entering the fourth.

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Knicks’ RJ Barrett continuing to thrive

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After shooting the lights out on the opening night of the season, RJ Barrett stumbled into some rough patches, the second of which coincided with the midst of a losing streak.

But despite the Knicks had their three-game winning streak snapped Friday night against the Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Barrett has rediscovered his touch and was making a major impact in the process.

“We’re just trying to work hard and grind every day,” Barrett said after scoring a career-high 28 points on 10-for-17 shooting in Thursday’s win over the Warriors. “That’s really what we’re trying to do. We’re really focused. We’ve been giving it our all and we’re going to continue to do that throughout the season.”

In Friday’s 103-94 loss to the Kings, Barrett had 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting — including going 2-for-2 from 3. Over his past five games entering Friday, Barrett had averaged 21.8 points — on 51.4 percent shooting and 38.9 percent from deep — to go with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists. In the 10 games before that stretch, he was shooting just 33.1 percent from the floor and 12.8 percent from beyond the arc — numbers that were boosted by two games in the middle in which the lefty briefly got hot and shot 18 of 34 from the floor and 5-for-10 from three.

“I think RJ’s played really well over I’d say like the last five or six games, playing at a really high level,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He started off the season where he had a big opening night and I think teams came after him pretty good. But he’s adjusting and even during the stretch where he wasn’t shooting particularly well, he was rebounding great and he was playmaking.

Frank Ntilikina missed his 13th consecutive game since suffering a sprained right knee Dec. 29. Austin Rivers also was out for a second straight night with a sore right Achilles. … Sunday’s game in Portland has been switched from 9 p.m. Eastern time to 10 p.m.

— additional reporting by Peter Botte

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Knicks whipped by Kings, fall under .500

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Representative defense often is a staple of success in the NBA, and a distinct quality that should translate whether games are played at home or on the road.

As the Knicks have learned more than once already this season, however, it’s almost impossible to cover up for a poor shooting night at the other end.

Tom Thibodeau’s Knicks had locked back in at the defensive end in posting three straight wins to mostly negate the preceding five-game losing skid, but they slipped back under .500 for the season with a frustrating 103-94 loss Friday to the Kings in Sacramento, Calif.

Julius Randle posted 26 points with 15 rebounds despite constant double-teams, but the Knicks (8-9) couldn’t ultimately overcame a 5-for-22 shooting night from 3-point range or a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter, failing to build on Thursday’s defensively stout win at Golden State with a second straight win to open a four-game Western trip.

“From mid-first quarter, and second quarter I thought we played well. The third quarter started OK, but then we got stuck and obviously didn’t finish well,” Thibodeau said. “They were swarming and we obviously weren’t making shots. And when you’re not making shots, sometimes it gets tough. I did like the fight, but obviously we’d like to close it out better than we did.”

De’Aaron Fox shoots over Immanuel Quickley during the Knicks’ 103-94 loss to the Kings.
NBAE via Getty Images

De’Aaron Fox netted 22 points, Harrison Barnes had 21 and impressive rookie point guard Tyrese Haliburton — the 12th overall pick in the 2020 draft, four picks after the Knicks grabbed Obi Toppin — contributed 16 points, four blocks and two steals in 31 minutes off the bench as the Kings halted their four-game losing skid.

The Knicks were just 3-for-18 from long range through three quarters and trailed 76-72 entering the final 12 minutes. A 3 by Glenn Robinson III and a jumper by Cory Joseph barely four minutes into the fourth boosted Sacramento’s lead to a game-high 12, 86-74.

A 3-pointer by Alec Burks and a converted three-point play by Randle keyed a 13-3 run and got the Knicks back within two with 4:30 remaining. But Haliburton’s 3 with 2:35 to go highlighted a 7-0 Sacramento run to replenish the lead to 96-87.

“We’re always going to do that. We’re always going to try to fight to the end, no matter what,” RJ Barrett said. “Most definitely, we haven’t done anything yet. I think we’re still trying to learn and figure out how to win and as a team bring it every night.”

Barrett finished with 21 points on 8-for-17 shooting one night after recording a career-high 28 against the Warriors, while Mitchell Robinson contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks. Toppin had six in 12 minutes for the Knicks, whose trip continues Sunday night in Portland before concluding Tuesday in Utah.

The Knicks entered the game ranked first in the NBA in fewest points allowed (102.8 per game), while holding opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage (43.0 percent) and 3-point percentage (30.7 percent).

Luke Walton’s Kings, meanwhile, came in having allowed the most points in the league — 123.0 per game — over their first 15 games. But they recorded a season-high 14 blocked shots, also including six from center Richaun Holmes.

The Knicks’ intensity appeared to lull, however, after carrying a 54-49 lead into the third quarter. Barnes’ layup and Buddy Hield’s 3-pointer midway through the period helped the Kings regain the lead, 68-67, and carry a four-point cushion into the fourth.

“It wasn’t the usual high energy [in the third quarter],” Thibodeau said. “Sometimes when you’re in a back-to-back, you have to fight through those things. I did like the fight in the fourth quarter, but we didn’t close it out.”

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