Frank Ntilikina denies that he wants Knicks to trade him

Frank Ntilikina recently decided to hire new representation, and there has been speculation that he wants the New York Knicks to explore trading him this offseason. According to his new agent, that is not the case.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News confirmed reports on Monday that Ntilikina is on the trading block and said the former No. 8 overall pick “desires a relocation.” Ntilikina’s new agent, Bouna Ndiaye, told Marc Berman of the New York Post on Tuesday that the 20-year-old is content in New York.

“I can just tell you that the fact he was not traded has nothing to do with this change of agent,” Ndiaye said. “Frank is extremely happy to be part of the Knicks.”

If the Knicks are shopping Ntilikina as multiple outlets have reported, there is really no need for him to embarrass them by saying he wants out. Perhaps both sides have quietly agreed that a divorce would be best, and Ntilikina can help the Knicks protect his trade value leading up to the draft if he doesn’t publicly say he wants to be dealt.

Ntilikina appeared in just 43 games for the Knicks in his second season as he battled injuries, and he did not show any improvement offensively from his disappointing rookie season. He averaged just 5.7 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting just 33.7 percent from the field. Ntilikina has a high ceiling as a defender at 6-foot-6 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, but he has not lived up to expectations since being a lottery pick. It’s possible his career with the Knicks was doomed from the start.