Shortly after firing their president of basketball operations on Tuesday, the New York Knicks seem to be pushing forward with an eye on making some moves before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The Knicks, in a complete reversal from a day ago, are now making Marcus Morris available via trade, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, This comes after it was believed that Morris was untouchable because the Knicks were excited at the thought of re-signing him as a free agent this summer. Now, though, it appears that the Knicks are changing course, and part of that redirection might include making a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers have been shopping Kyle Kuzma for weeks now, and have been searching for shooting depth in return. The market for Kuzma hasn't been particularly hot, but it looks like the Knicks have entered the conversation for the third-year player, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. While no players were mentioned in terms of who the Lakers would be interested in, with Morris now available, that could potentially be a player the Lakers would want in return for any deal involving Kuzma. The deal couldn't be a one-for-one trade if that were the case, considering Morris is making $15 million this season. Kuzma is still on a rookie deal that pays him $1.5 million, so the Lakers would have to throw in another player or two to make the money work. If Morris is who the Lakers would want, he would be ideal for what Los Angeles is looking for on the market.

Morris is averaging a career-high 19.6 points, while shooting 43.9 percent from the 3-point line, and he's on an expiring deal so it wouldn't financially burden the Lakers in the future. He'd be a complementary spot-up shooter to place alongside LeBron James, and at his size he can guard multiple positions. 

Kuzma, to his credit, has taken the rumors in stride thanks to some advice from the late Kobe Bryant. "Kob always used to tell me if they aren't talking about you, you should be worried," Kuzma said after Tuesday's win over the Spurs. "And I'm the talk of the town, so..."

For the Knicks, Kuzma would be given the opportunity to flourish in a new environment where he would likely be a starter. Kuzma's splits for when he starts versus when he comes off the bench is a day-and-night difference. In the six games he's started this season, he's averaged 20.3 points, compared to just 11.7 points off the bench. It's clear that Kuzma isn't the best fit on this Los Angeles team as currently constructed, but in New York he may be given more opportunity to grow and develop.