An argument against the Knicks making a major trade this offseason

Following a disappointing 2021-22 season, many people believe the New York Knicks should make trades to either rebuild or contend next season. However, I believe with the way things currently stand on the Knicks’ roster, the front office shouldn’t make any trades.

Not only should we keep the young players (Immanuel Quickley, Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, etc.), but even some of the veterans such as Evan Fournier and Julius Randle should be kept. I believe there is a good chance that the latter could provide some real value to the team.

Maybe the Knicks could trade some small players on the team like Cam Reddish, who may not even be in the rotation on opening night according to The Athletic (subscription required).

However, outside of a potential Reddish trade, I believe New York’s roster should stay relatively the same until at least the upcoming trade deadline. At that point, the front office could determine what needs to be done with the team.

Here is why I personally believe the Knicks should make no major trades 

Too much potential in the young players:

While I would not be entirely opposed to a Donovan Mitchell trade, as he would make New York a much better team, it depends on the trade package, as I really don’t think the Knicks should send all or even half of their young players to the Jazz. I’m not saying that these guys will be as good as Mitchell, but the depth they provide on the team is too valuable to lose. So at that point, if the Jazz aren’t willing to lower their price for Mitchell, don’t trade for him. It’s as simple as that.

We saw a lot of potential out of Quickley, Toppin, and Grimes last season. I would much rather see how they progress this season on the Knicks, as opposed to sending them off to another team for a potential rival to have their talents.

Grimes has the potential to start in 2022-23 due to the value he brings on the defensive side of the ball, which is something that New York will need in the starting lineup next to Jalen Brunson. If the Knicks were to trade him away, the team would likely lose a lot of defense, let alone the three-point shooting that Grimes provides.

As for Quickley and Toppin, we have seen the elite play both of these players are capable of when given the proper minutes. The Knicks are going to need their talents this season off the bench or potentially starting if someone gets hurt or a veteran is traded.

To sum it up, while a Mitchell trade may make the team better, I would rather see what these young players bring to the floor next season. Their combined talent and the depth they provide could be huge for New York.

Veterans could still provide a lot of value:

After seeing Kemba Walker, Alec Burks, and Nerlens Noel traded in one offseason, many Knicks fans thought this meant they were looking to trade almost all of their veterans in order to rebuild. However, I still believe the veterans that are left on the roster could provide a ton of value on the floor in the upcoming season.

Obviously, Julius Randle had a bit of a down season last year. Despite this, I still believe he could provide a ton of value if he buys into a new way of playing offense, which would mean going back to his old way as an off-ball slasher/post-up player.

Simply, the ball should be in Randle’s hands less to not only make the offense more fluid but to help both RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson succeed. Will Randle buy into a new role? I’m not sure, but if he doesn’t, and remains playing the way he has in two out of the last three seasons, then I believe a trade may be necessary.

For now, though, I believe the Knicks should keep Randle to help him buy into his potential new role.

As for Evan Fournier, he also had a bit of a down year. Yes, he was one of the best three-point shooters in the league. However, he posted a career low in field goal percentage and was quite abysmal defensively. While the poor defense is somewhat expected, his inconsistencies reached an all-time high last season.

I believe the best role for Fournier on the Knicks is a spot off the bench as a catch-and-shoot player. Not only will his defensive liability be more of a problem in the starting lineup this season, but his shooting off the bench could be much needed depending on how Thibodeau decides to run the rotation.

Could we see a lot of these players traded? Absolutely, but before New York’s front office does anything drastic, I would much rather see how this team flows with each other now that we have a new starting point guard and backup center.

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