Knicks set to acquire Jose Alvarado in trade with Pelicans

The New York Knicks have been relatively quiet leading up to this year’s trade deadline, and understandably so. New York has won eight straight games and seems to have fully put a recent losing skid behind them.

However, that changed on Thursday afternoon with less than three hours left until the deadline.

“Just in: The New Orleans Pelicans are trading Jose Alvarado to the New York Knicks, sources tell ESPN. Homecoming for the Pelicans guard,” reported ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania on X, formerly Twitter.

“The Knicks are sending Dalen Terry, two second-round picks and cash to the Pelicans for Alvarado, sources said,” he added.

The Knicks had recently acquired Terry from the Bulls in exchange for Guerschon Yabusele, and will now be flipping him in order to bring in Alvarado, a defensive pest who has improved his outside shooting over the years.

Alvarado has gained the nickname “Grand Theft Alvarado” for his ability to steal the ball over the years, often sneaking up on opponents on inbounds plays after hiding out in the far corner of the court.

Alvarado will join a Knicks team whose depth has been a question mark at times this season, with Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson cooling off in recent weeks after a hot month of December.

Meanwhile, Yabusele didn’t play a big role in Mike Brown’s rotation this year after signing with New York in free agency, so the Knicks didn’t have to change much about their current operation in order to bring in a valuable player in Alvarado.

At this point, it is unclear when the former Georgia Tech product will be able to make his debut for New York, but he will be an interesting piece, especially in the playoffs, when physicality and defense become as important as ever.

The post Knicks set to acquire Jose Alvarado in trade with Pelicans appeared first on ClutchPoints.