Some might say that the New York Knicks have been more conservative with their roster construction the past few years, but the reality is, they haven’t been an appealing landing spot for a majority of 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 big player who can transform their team.
The Knicks are playing above expectations this season, coming off a dominant victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday evening. Tantalizing defense and impressive offensive production from Julius Randle and Immanuel Quickley fueled their victory. However, they did lose starting Center Mitchell Robinson to a fractured right hand, and there’s no timetable for his return.
Considering his injury and the Knicks’ progression this season, they may seek another trade to inject more talent into the roster while they wait for Robinson to recover. However, the next player New York pursues will likely have to be a star, and they have the assets and draft equity to spend if need be.
According to Stefon Bondy of The New York Daily News:
“They’re going to be in the mix when a star becomes available,” a source told Bondy.
The Knicks have a plethora 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 package together some of his assets. He could even throw Elfrid Payton into the mix, who is currently on a one-year, $5 million deal and playing solid basketball with aggressive defense.
The issue is, the Knicks don’t have any above-average talent (with the exception of maybe Julius Randle) to utilize in a trade for a star, so their draft capital might be the most valuable selling point. As we’ve seen in the past, established players can demand multiple first-round picks, so offering more players than draft picks might be a beneficial move. The Knicks recently parted ways with Dennis Smith Jr. for Derrick Rose, and with NY three games back from a .500 record, I expect another move to occur in the coming weeks.
