Knicks Trade Rumors: Front office believes it can trade for a star

The New York Knicks have stockpiled assets under general manager Scott Perry. New team president Leon Rose is reportedly ready to use them in a trade.

The New York Knicks have long been in pursuit of a return to prominence. The criticism of the organization, however, has been that said pursuit has been without a defined approach to how such would be achieved.

New York has flirted with the idea of a full-on rebuild through a youth movement, but its acquisition of veterans on one-year deals created complications.

General manager Scott Perry has continued the trend that Phil Jackson started by retaining all of the team’s first-round draft picks. Perry has also acquired future selections from the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers, which has positioned New York to make a splash.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, there are some within the organization who believe that team president Leon Rose has the necessary assets to trade for a star.

"…some with the Knicks feel that they are incredibly well positioned to trade for a disgruntled star if one becomes available.“It’s the best path for us,” one front office member recently said."

There’s no possible way to guarantee that such will transpire, but it’s hard to look at the Knicks’ assets without seeing the potential for such a move.

New York has all of its future first-round draft picks, as well as the aforementioned selections from Dallas in 2021 and 2023, and Los Angeles in 2020. It also has the right to swap picks with the Clippers in 2021, as well as second-round picks from the Charlotte Hornets and Detroit Pistons.

The Knicks also possess one of the younger cores in the NBA, with talent that those around the Association would be thrilled to develop.

Those players include 19-year-old guard RJ Barrett, 20-year-old forward Kevin Knox, 21-year-old guard Frank Ntilikina, and 22-year-old center Mitchell Robinson.

It must be reiterated that the Knicks have not yet executed a trade, and therefore may still build around the young players on the roster. The possibility now exists, however, for the Knicks to follow a path that many before them chose.

Rose will have time before a trade is even a possibility, but it appears as though the front office is currently evaluating its options.

Perhaps a trade for a star could be on the horizon for the New York Knicks. The question is: Who might it be?