Some may say that the New York Knicks have been more conservative with their squad building in recent years, but the reality is that they have not been an attractive landing point for most NBA stars. Ranging from Kevin Durant to Kyrie Irving, who signed with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 free agency period, the Knicks are still looking to add a great player who can transform their team.
The Knicks are playing above expectations this season, coming out of a dominant win over the Washington Wizards on Friday night. The tantalizing defense and impressive offensive production by Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley fueled the victory. However, they lost Mitchell Robinson’s starting center to a fractured right hand, and there is no timetable for his return.
Considering his injury and the Knicks’ progression this season, they may seek another switch to inject more talent on the list while awaiting Robinson’s recovery. However, the next player New York will chase will likely have to be a star, and they have the assets and capital of the draft to spend, if necessary.
According to Stefon Bondy of The New York Daily News:
“They will be in the mix when a star is available,” a source told Bondy.
Knicks have a multitude of options to choose from when considering a trade. Ranging from Kevin Knox to Austin Rivers, President Leon Rose has players at his disposal if he wants to pool some of his assets. He could even include Elfrid Payton in the mix, who is currently on a $ 5 million one-year contract and playing solid basketball with aggressive defense.
The problem is that the Knicks have no above-average talent (with the exception of perhaps Julius Randle) to use in exchange for a star, so their draft capital may be the most valuable selling point. As we have seen in the past, established players may require several choices in the first round, so offering more players than choices in the draft can be a beneficial move. The Knicks recently split from Dennis Smith Jr. by Derrick Rose, and with NY three games behind a 0.500 record, I hope another change will occur in the coming weeks.