Report: New York Knicks covet Tari Eason ahead of NBA trade deadline

With the NBA’s trade deadline nearing, the New York Knicks reportedly covet Houston Rockets youngster Tari Eason.

“New York reportedly covets Tari Eason, but that might take a one-for-one with [Quentin] Grimes, leaving them thin at the guard position,” wrote SNY’s David Vertsberger. “However, they could pair that with an Evan Fournier trade to upgrade the backcourt, filling all the holes.”

Eason has been out for the majority of this month with a lower leg injury. His last appearance came on New Year’s Day in a blowout win against the Detroit Pistons. He recorded 17 points, four rebounds, one assists and three steals in that contest.

When healthy this season, his second with the Rockets and in the league, Eason has been just as productive as he was during his rookie campaign.

He currently holds averages of 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 36.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Grimes appears to be a player the Knicks are willing to part ways with ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. The Athletic’s Fred Katz recently reported that New York is “actively” fielding offers for him. Knicks insider Ian Begley later revealed some teams interested in the former first-round pick.

“The [Atlanta] Hawks, [Washington] Wizards and [Utah] Jazz are among the teams with interest in Grimes,” wrote Begley.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Rockets and Knicks are able to come to terms on a deal before the deadline.

As it stands right now, the Knicks (30-17) are rolling, as they are winners of seven straight games and sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Rockets have slowed down a bit after a hot start to the season and currently sit in 11th place in the Western Conference with a 22-24 record. They got things back on track on Monday night after beating the LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. With the win, they are now just one game back of the Utah Jazz for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Houston and New York have already played each other once this season, with the second matchup scheduled to take place four days after the trade deadline on Feb. 12 in Texas.