Rumors continue to swirl about potential offseason moves for the New York Knicks, including rampant speculation about proposed trades and free agent signings.
As one option, the team could potentially keep the pick and select the best player available on June 23, as there are many intriguing prospects that would slot nicely with the current roster.
[READ ALSO: Five NBA Draft prospects the Knicks could target with the 11th pick]
Yet, the team does have a number of up-and-comers on the roster, along with various veterans — many of whom have overlapping skill sets, which has caused a logjam in the depth chart.
That has come as a product of the franchise being uncharacteristically conservative with their cap space, while holding onto their young players to amass an arsenal of highly-valuable assets.
If team president Leon Rose decided that this offseason was the proper time to cash in his chips, he could look to add a marquee player that has been missing from Madison Square Garden since the heyday of Carmelo Anthony.
First, the team will need to answer several questions about how they see their roster, who is available on the market, how to manage their cap room, and more.
What could/would the Knicks offer?
The best asset the Knicks currently have is RJ Barrett. Heading into his 4th season, the 21-year-old wingman has shown significant improvement each season, 20 points, 3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds each contest. Only an irresistible, too-good-to-be-true offer would see Rose and the rest of the front office part with Barrett, so fans should consider him likely untradable.
Below Barrett on the list of valuable assets, the team boasts several young players:
- PG Immanuel Quickley, 22
- SF Cam Reddish, 21
- PF Obi Toppin, 24
- SG Quentin Grimes, 22
Any one of those 4 players (or some combination of the 4) could be on the trade block this offseason — for the right price. If the right asset becomes available on the trade market (see below), the front office could pull the trigger, as essentially any other teams in the league would love to have them.
One problem that has emerged this offseason is the lack of understanding about how valuable each player actually is. Toppin and Quickley, for example, were relegated to minimal minutes this season behind a slew of point guards (for Quickley), as well as Julius Randle (in the case of Toppin). Towards the end of the year, both youngsters exploded on both sides of the ball, and left fans salivating at the possibility of their continued growth. Trading them now would be a risk, but, as has become apparent in this league, anything can be moved.
The other tantalizing asset the Knicks have is the 11th overall pick in the NBA Draft. The team could theoretically add their pick to any trade, or add players and future picks to move up in the draft, if they have the right target in mind.
The Julius Randle question
Randle became a fan-favorite last season, when he helped propel the team to their first playoff berth since 2013, and showed flashes of becoming a dominant star in the league. He regressed significantly this season, though, and failed to match any of his major statistics from his All-Star season, much to the chagrin of the fans.
Making matters worse, the Knicks had just given Randle a new contract. He is likely to produce a $26,136,000 cap hit for the Knicks next year, and is signed through the 2025-26 season, with a player option in his final year.
And if the Knicks do indeed end up keeping Toppin, it’s hard to see how the two players can co-exist, especially with the younger power forward needing playtime to progress his relatively-raw game (which he has said).
Not many franchises would be chomping-at-the-bit to acquire Randle due to his contract number and longevity, but it’s possible that the team could swap him for another franchise’s distressed asset, or package him with a more tantalizing player/pick, and entice another GM into taking him on.
Stars that are (potentially) available?
Bradley Beal, SG
The Knicks would need to back up a U-Haul truck and unload their entire arsenal of assets to pry Beal from the Washington Wizards, and to make a better offer that the ones several other franchises would surely make.
He is one somewhat-likely-to-be-traded player that Rose and the front office would seriously need to consider moving Barrett for — as he’s a premier scorer who could easily be a top-player on a championship contender.
Damian Lillard, PG
Some observers would argue that Lillard is a better trade target than Beal, as the point guard has consistently shown to be one of the best playmakers in the game since he entered the league in 2012 (along with Beal).
At 24 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, the Portland Trailblazers would demand a stockpile of riches (perhaps including Barrett) to move Lillard, who has done a consistent dance around the rumors he wants to be traded.
Adding Lillard to the roster at the Garden would give the team the best player they’ve had in years, as well as a chance to recruit future free agents to play alongside the dynamic ball handler.
Donovan Mitchell, SG
It’s unclear if the Utah Jazz swingman even wants a trade, but after a few turbulent years in Salt Lake, Mitchell is rumored to be on the market.
There’s little possibility of a trade actually going down, simply due to the sheer value he would command, but if the Knicks saw the 25-year-old Mitchell, who has drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade, as a franchise cornerstone, they could at least make a phone call to Utah’s front office.
Deandre Ayton, C
The former #1 overall pick for the Phoenix Suns had a breakout during the team’s 2020-21 run to the NBA Finals, where he showed the flashes of elite defense down low, along with solid footwork and decent outside shooting that observers dreamed of when he was leaving the University of Arizona.
The Knicks may lose their center, Mitchell Robinson, in free agency, which would make Ayton a tantalizing prospect to add to the roster. Still, the Suns will control his future, as he is a restricted free agent, and could opt to keep him all together.
Taking him away from Phoenix would cost the team a few young assets and future picks, but perhaps they would not need to empty the cupboard completely, and could pair him with some of their other youngsters for a dynamic, hyper-athletic core moving forward.