New York Knicks: How to build a championship roster

Building the Knicks into contenders: 2021 Offseason

If the Knicks win around 33 games next season based on incremental improvement, they will still be in the lottery and will know where they will pick before the offseason begins. Just because the franchise hasn’t moved up in the draft since 1985, doesn’t mean it will never happen. If they can finally break their streak of falling back in the lottery, the 2021 Draft is the one to do it. It is projected to be stacked with talent. Becoming a title contender requires a little luck. Landing a stud like a Cade Cunningham would open up a ton of possibilities for the Knicks.

Beyond the draft and players on the NBA roster, it is also important to utilize Westchester as a development environment. We saw Iggy Brazdeikis’s value increase just by getting run in the G-League. The organization also has three prospects in Jared Harper, Lamar Peters and Kenny Wooten that are intriguing. Having at least one of them do well will validate the Knicks’ development program and provide some nice cost-effective players they can plug into the rotation.

If the Knicks go into the summer of 2021 with two emerging players in R.J. and Mitch, plus a promising rookie and two viable assets in Ntilikina and Knox, with a nice veteran or two on the roster after a 30+ win season, they will get serious consideration from free agents and stars looking to sign somewhere new or be traded.

If they finally get lucky in the lottery and move up, they can become serious contenders for Giannis in free agency. They would also have the assets to trade for a Devin Booker type star and a lottery pick to draft a potential star like Cade Cunningham.

The sky’s the limit for the Knicks. But it all starts by understanding what they need to do today to win a championship sooner than expected.