Will Knicks get burned again by conference foe stealing a star trade target?

Entering the 2022-23 season, the expectation was that the New York Knicks would be competing for a play-in spot. With 67 games left to play in the regular season, that’s still the expectation. Even after not trading for Donovan Mitchell over the summer, it was thought that the Knicks would still go out and compete on a nightly basis.

If you watched New York lose to Cleveland, Atlanta, Brooklyn, and Oklahoma City, you know that the Knicks team that was on the floor during those games didn’t compete. From letting the Cavaliers hit a franchise-record 27 three-pointers, to losing a 23-point lead to the Hawks, to getting blown out by a lowly Nets team, to allowing a rebuilding team to drop 145 points at MSG, New York has fallen short of its expectations entering the season.

During the offseason, there was hope that the Knicks would at long last get their star, but the front office chose to not succumb to Danny Ainge’s demands. New York is left with its trove of first-round picks that can still be used to bring a star to the city, but it’s still unclear when – or if – that will happen in the near future.

However, there’s one player that could become available during the season with the Thunder potentially looking ahead to the 2023 NBA Draft. That player is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who torched the Knicks with his 37-point performance a few days ago.

Knicks’ division rival continues to be linked to Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

It’s been known that the Toronto Raptors have been “closely monitoring” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s situation in Oklahoma City, but a front office executive (subscription required) believes that another losing season for the Thunder might be enough to push SGA to Toronto.

"“You keep hearing that Shai is frustrated with the losing, and so I think that’s the Toronto thing that we’ve all heard about with their interest in Shai this summer,” front-office executive No. 4 said. “But how far do (the Thunder) want to push this (tanking effort)?”"

Not only would SGA fit perfectly on the Raptors, but he’s a Toronto native. The Raptors are a few seasons removed from defeating the Warriors in the NBA Finals, and acquiring Gilgeous-Alexander could be the missing piece that Toronto needs to take another trophy back to Canada.

Hopefully, Leon Rose is also monitoring what’s going on in OKC. Gilgeous-Alexander is a 24-year-old two-way guard that’s primed to make his first All-Star appearance this season. If Sam Presti decides that he’s willing to listen to offers, or SGA decides that he wants out, New York shouldn’t hesitate to make an offer. It’d be a shame for the Knicks to get burned twice.

The Knicks sat back and watched as Donovan Mitchell was sent to a young Cavaliers team that’s already more than lived up to the hype. Will the front office let the same happen with SGA and the Raptors?

Predicting how Knicks will fare on challenging five-game road trip

The New York Knicks' five-game Western Conference road trip will begin on Nov. 15 in Utah and will end on Nov. 21 in Oklahoma City.