The New York Knicks have been the surprise of the first half of the 2021 NBA season. The team once projected to finish the entire campaign with a pitiful 21 wins has 14 victories under its belt over the first 30 contests.
The team once thought to be a lock for a top-three draft pick, now finds itself as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Barring a major collapse, they have a real chance to make their first postseason appearance since 2013.
Julius Randle has been a breakout star, while the rest of the young core has performed admirably. However, the team does have one major weakness: offense.
The Knicks, led by new coach Tom Thibodeau, currently ranks third in the league in defensive rating. Unfortunately, they also sit at the bottom of the league in points per game (103.5). This could be their Achilles heel.
As things currently stand, the Knicks find themselves in the same conference with the first (Nets with 121 PPG) and second (Bucks with 119.2 PPG) in the entire NBA. The Bulls and Wizards are also in the top ten in scoring numbers.
New York’s strong defense will help propel them, but the team will eventually find itself in a situation where they must keep up with the scoring pace of the conference’s elite.
A recently reported trade rumor may be the perfect solution to this issue. Bleacher Report recently published an article stating that the Knicks have shown interest in Portland combo guard CJ McCollum as a potential deadline trade target.
There are three reasons why this would be a perfect fit.
The Knicks Need Offense
McCollum has been an extremely steady source of offense since the 2015-2016 season. The veteran holds lifetime averages of 18.7 points per game while averaging over 20 PPG in each of the past six seasons. In 2020-2021, he has posted a career-high 26.7 points per contest.
The former lottery pick is also an extremely efficient scorer. While some NBA stars require a plethora of shots to post top numbers, McCollum has mastered his craft.
This season, he has posted a 47% overall field goal percentage, along with 44% from behind the three-point arc and 84% from the free-throw line. Additionally, he is also chipping in a tidy five assists per contest.
Despite being a bit undersized at just 6’3” and 190lbs, McCollum would be a great fit in New York. Imagine him running pick and roll with Mitchell Robinson. Or driving to the basket with Quickley spotted up from behind the three-point line. Imagine McCollum drawing in the defense and passing to a cutting RJ Barrett or Obi Toppin. The entire offense would receive a major boost.
This would also help tremendously as players like Barrett, Toppin, and Kevin Knox attempt to establish themselves as consistent offensive threats. While some of those names would almost assuredly be sent to Portland in a trade, the remaining pieces would have the benefit of easier offense than ever before.
He would immediately slot in as the Knicks’ go-to scorer. There is even a chance that he could round into one of the best New York scorers in recent memory.
Knicks: A Franchise Shift
A trade for McCollum would further cement something that started with the Derrick Rose acquisition: The Knicks are seeking to build a contender this season.
While there is still a massive amount of work to be done to create a legitimate championship contender, it is unrealistic to expect the franchise to go from basement dwellers to title favorites overnight.
The first step is reestablishing themselves as a postseason team. New York has often fallen into the trap of thinking that their market will be enough to attract superstar free agents. We thought LeBron James would be drawn in by the lights at Madison Square Garden. We thought the same about Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. That is until they spurned the Knicks for a Nets team with an established postseason roster.
The Knicks cannot place all their hope in hitting a grand slam home run in the form of an MVP free agent signing. They must show top players that they have a good culture and the potential to win.
After making cracking the playoff field, the team should then set their sights on home court. Then, perhaps, the team will earn a seat at the table with future free agents.
The trade for Rose signaled a clear win-now emphasis. The team is no longer waiting for outside players or lottery ping-pong balls to decide their fate. They are building a depth chart with a focus on competing. Now!
A trade for McCollum would crank this trend to a new level. They would have a legitimate backcourt and, depending on the pieces being traded away, either a strong center position led by Robinson or a capable wing spot manned by some combination of Toppin, Barrett, or Knox.
This type of move would immediately help the Knicks establish themselves as a threat in the East.
The Knicks’ Timeline
While McCollum has been around the league for nearly a decade, he is still only 29 years old. While this makes him more aged than the rest of the team’s young core, he would still fit in well with the franchise’s overall timeline.
Julius Randle is currently 26 years old. Obi Toppin, Mitchell Robinson, and Frank Ntilikina are 22. Immanuel Quickley and Kevin Knox are just 21. This would leave the franchise with a window of at least a half-decade to grow alongside one another.
As a point of comparison, veteran guard Lou Williams, who has a similar skillset to McCollum, is still thriving at age 34. Combo guard Jamal Crawford average double-digit points per game through his age-37 season.
The current Blazers #2 will be a few years ahead of the schedule. But the timeline still meshes together well. As each player in this group enters into their prime, McCollum will still be in a great position to serve as an on-court leader for the team.
The Verdict
The Trail Blazers would assuredly ask for a high return for their longtime shooting guard. However, the Knicks have the young pieces and picks to create an appealing package without mortgaging their ability to add future pieces. New York would be wise to pour serious time and attention into this potential trade avenue as the March 25th deadline approaches.
In the worst-case scenario, McCollum would serve as the first option while New York strives for the postseason. In the best case, he would help the franchise re-establish itself before reassuming the secondary role after the team adds another star.