Brandon Knight (basketball)

Knight with the Pistons in February 2013

Knight was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.[9] In May 2012, he earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, becoming the first Pistons' rookie since Grant Hill (1994–95) to be named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Knight's 847 points were the second-most by a Pistons' rookie since the 1985–86 season and his 12.8 points per game was the fourth highest average by a Pistons' rookie since the 1980–81 season.[10]

Knight appeared in 141 games (135 starts) in two seasons with Detroit, averaging 13.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures 92 times with the Pistons, including three 30-point outings.

On July 31, 2013, Knight was traded, along with Khris Middleton and Viacheslav Kravtsov, to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Brandon Jennings.[11] Knight's first season with Milwaukee was hit early with a hamstring injury in the season opener on October 30, limiting him to two minutes that night and forcing him to miss eight of the next 10 games.[12] On December 31, Knight scored a career-high 37 points in a 94–79 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[13] He enjoyed the most productive season in his three years as a pro, becoming only the second player in the franchise's 46-year history to lead the team in scoring (1,291 points) and assists (352) during his first season with the team.[12]

The 2014–15 season saw Knight enter the All-Star break as the team's leader in scoring and assists. Although most notably that year on November 19, Knight infamously missed a wide-open layup for the win in OT against the Brooklyn Nets. In 52 games at the All-Star break, he averaged 17.8 points, a career-high 5.4 assists, career-high 4.3 rebounds and career-high 1.6 steals, while shooting career highs of 43.5 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from three-point range.[14]

Knight guarded by Dorian Finney-Smith while with the Suns in January 2017

On February 19, 2015, Knight was traded, along with Kendall Marshall, to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade also involving the Philadelphia 76ers.[14] He missed time in March with a left ankle injury,[15] before missing the conclusion of the season with a left heel bone bruise that required surgery.[16][17]

On July 17, 2015, Knight re-signed with the Suns to a five-year, $70 million contract.[18][19] On November 12, he tied his career high of 37 points in a 118–104 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.[20] Four days later, Knight recorded his first career triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 15 assists in a 120–101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[21] Knight became just the fourth player since steals became an official stat in the 1973–74 season to record a triple-double with a line of at least 30 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds and four steals, joining Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson and Russell Westbrook,[22] as well as the second player behind Magic Johnson to record such a line at 23 years old or younger.[23][24] On November 20, Knight set a new career high with 38 points in a 114–107 victory over the Denver Nuggets.[25] On December 13, he scored 25 points and hit a career-high seven 3-pointers in a 108–101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[26] Knight missed time between late January and early March with a left adductor strain.[27] On March 12, he scored 30 points and hit a career high-tying seven 3-pointers in a 123–116 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[28] On March 28, he again scored 30 points and tied a career high with seven 3-pointers in a 121–116 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, recording his fifth 30-point game of the season.[29] On April 3, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with the same left adductor strain that kept him out for seven weeks earlier in the season.[30] Five days later, he underwent successful surgery to treat the sports hernia.[31]

The 2016–17 season saw Knight play off the bench over the first half of the season before being shut down despite being healthy over the second half of the season.[32][33] He went on to miss the entire 2017–18 season after sustaining a torn ACL in his left knee in July 2017 that required surgery.[34][35][36]

On August 31, 2018, Knight was traded, alongside Marquese Chriss, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Ryan Anderson and De'Anthony Melton.[37] Despite looking to rehabilitate his career in 2018–19,[38] Knight was ruled out indefinitely prior to the season after his surgery got infected during the offseason.[39][40] On November 30, he was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League on a rehab assignment.[41] He played for the Vipers that night, recording 16 points and five assists in 22 minutes against the Salt Lake City Stars,[42] before being recalled by the Rockets on December 1.[43][44] On December 13, he made his debut for the Rockets, recording one assist and one rebound in four minutes in a 126–111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, marking his first game since February 15, 2017.[45] He played 12 games for the Rockets, with his final appearance coming on January 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[46] He was sidelined in January due to left knee soreness.[47]

On February 7, 2019, Knight was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and the Sacramento Kings.[48] He made his debut for the Cavaliers two days later, scoring nine points in just under 12 minutes off the bench in a 105–90 loss to the Indiana Pacers.[49]

On February 6, 2020, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Knight and John Henson, along with a 2023 second round draft pick, to the Detroit Pistons for Andre Drummond.[50]