The New York Knicks have to count this as a successful season. For all of the pain of losing to Jimmy Butler, Erik Spoelstra, and the Miami Heat in the second round, they clobbered the 51-win Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. Jalen Brunson is an All-Star level point guard, the young core is continuing to grow, and even Julius Randle has reinvented himself as a stretch-4 playing at a high level.
The focus of the team now turns to the offseason, where the Knicks have some decisions to make. Do they commit to this specific team, re-signing Josh Hart and otherwise only making moves on the margins, trusting their young players to improve? Or do they try to make a big swing?
The New York Knicks could look for a star on the trade market
The big swing worked last offseason, clearing the cap space to sign Jalen Brunson to a contract that looked like too much at the time and a bargain now. They also showed restraint on the trade market, letting the Cavaliers trade for Donovan Mitchell. Now a new offseason represents a new chance to trade in their assets for a star.
One star who may very well be available this summer is Trae Young; he and the Atlanta Hawks don’t appear to be on the same page, and the team has not reached the heights it expected to the past two seasons. With a new front office and a new head coach in place, could Young demand a trade? Or could the Hawks decide to move on anyway? Both scenarios are on the table.
If Young does come available, expect the Knicks to look into a possible trade. That doesn’t mean they would pull the trigger, as Young and Brunson are a tricky fit together; the Knicks have likely passed the point where they would trade Brunson for Young. If the Knicks decide to add the star and figure out the fit after, what could they offer to bring the flashy star to New York?