Knicks: Why They Shouldn’t Trade for Bradley Beal

The New York Knicks are off to a surprisingly good start.

The Knicks were projected by ESPN to win just about 24 games before the season started, yet low and behold, they’re 13-15 and are 7th in the East as this is being written.

Derrick Rose has been a great addition for the Knicks but it looks like they’re not done maneuvering just yet to try to improve the team. It’s been reported by CBS Sports that, “the Knicks are willing to package young talent, picks ‘to be in the mix when a star becomes available” and knowing the history of this team’s track record, this is definitely plausible. The star player that seems set to hit the trade market first is Bradley Beal. He hasn’t declared a desire to be traded yet, but Beal and the Wizards are currently in a state of turmoil so him hitting the trade market seems inevitable.

The Knicks should strongly consider removing themselves from the Bradley Beal talks if they want to compete in the NBA for the long-haul

While Beal would definitely be a great addition to the team, the Knicks should remain patient. A player of Beal’s caliber, who’s averaging a league-leading 33 points per game, will require New York to fork over a massive haul in exchange for Beal’s services. It was reported by the Daily News recently that the Wizards would want three unprotected first-round picks, two pick swaps, a young player, and an expiring contract in the swap. This means a trade for Beal would essentially cost the Knicks 5 future picks and probably one of RJ Barrett or Mitchell Robinson –This would be an awful decision. Sure, a roster including Beal and Randle would make a good team, but the ceiling of that team would be capped way short of a title due to the inability to improve since the Knicks would have traded all their future assets.

We’ve seen how this type of deal plays out already….

For example, the Knicks were off to an impressive start back in the 2010-11 season with players like Amare Stoudemire, Raymond Felton, and Danilo Gallinari. Even though they appeared to be headed to the playoffs, the front office got impatient and offloaded multiple players and picks for Carmelo Anthony. The Melo-led Knicks were a very good team, in-fact they won 54 games and got to the 2nd round of the playoffs but that was their absolute ceiling. They couldn’t make any trades to add players around Melo because they traded all of their young assets and draft capital to acquire him. After that 54 win season, they missed the playoffs for 7 straight seasons. That’s exactly what will happen if they trade the farm for Beal.

The Knicks have no reason to make a risky move like that. They are not only playing very good basketball as of late but young players like Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Mitchell Robinson have all made massive strides this year. With a blossoming young core, the Knicks have no reason to act impatient as they may even make the playoffs without acquiring a star. If they stand their ground now, they may be able to sign Bradley Beal as a free agent in the summer of 2022.

The Brooklyn Nets already showed the world last offseason that being competitive in the New York market makes you extremely attractive to star free agents. Adding Beal to this current core of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and Immanuel Quickley would give the team a way higher ceiling than if they met the Wizards asking price for him. The Knicks would have more talent around Beal and still have the future picks to further improve the roster. Along with Bradley Beal, Zach Lavine is another star player who would also be an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Kyle Lowry should also be available in 2021 free agency. Staying the course and waiting to sign a star player in free agency is the right path for the Knicks.