Another offseason is here. The New York Knicks have already been linked to the two available stars on the trade market, but trading for Damian Lillard or James Harden wouldn’t be a good idea. Some fans are desperate to see the front office make a move for a star and would be content with Lillard or Harden, but Leon Rose and Co. being patient is actually a good thing.
The Knicks are coming off a season where they finished fifth in the East and made it to the semifinals before being ousted by the Heat. More importantly, Jalen Brunson solidified his spot as the player that New York should build around.
Although he didn’t receive All-NBA or All-Star honors, the Knicks have their star in Jalen Brunson. New York doesn’t seem inclined to trade Julius Randle, who did receive All-NBA/All-Star honors in 2022-23 for the second time in three seasons.
With the Knicks still in the market to trade for a star, there’s a chance that the front office could decide to hold off until the 2024 offseason when big-name players could be on the move.
4 superstars the Knicks could wait until 2024 offseason to trade for
4: Luka Doncic
The Knicks have been collecting Villanova pieces with ties to Jalen Brunson, but it would be major if New York managed to bring in the point guard’s former Dallas teammate.
After the 2023-24 season, Luka Doncic will have two more years on the five-year, $207 million supermax extension that he signed in 2021. Depending on how the Mavericks season shakes out, Doncic could request a trade.
Dallas is coming off a wildly disappointing season where it purposely tanked at the end of the regular season to avoid the play-in tournament and get the No. 10 pick in the draft. Doncic said that he “didn’t like the decision” to throw the season away with two games left, which wasn’t something that the Mavericks wanted to hear from their franchise player.
So far this offseason, Dallas drafted Dereck Lively with its first-round pick, re-signed Kyrie Irving to a three-year, $126 million contract that could come back to haunt them and re-signed Dwight Powell, and signed Seth Curry and Dante Exum. If the Mavericks aren’t able to not only get back to the playoffs but make a deep enough run to satisfy Doncic, the 24-year-old guard could shake up the NBA with a trade.
Mark Cuban would likely rather do anything but send Doncic to the Knicks, but between New York’s assets and the appeal of playing with Brunson again, it’s an idea that shouldn’t be counted out.
3: Giannis Antetokounmpo
If Giannis Antetokounmpo was traded to the Knicks, New York City might come crumbling down. The idea of a trade happening isn’t as improbable as it might sound.
Antetokounmpo is eligible to sign another extension with the Bucks this summer, but it’s been reported that it’s “unlikely” that he’ll do so after Milwaukee was eliminated by Miami in the first round of the playoffs. Following 2023-24, he’ll have two seasons left on his contract, with the second season being a $51.9 million player option for 2025-26.
The Bucks are now being coached by first-time head coach Adrian Griffin, the Raptors’ former lead assistant coach. Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer shortly after its 2022-23 season came to an end. Budenholzer led the Bucks to an NBA title in 2021.
Milwaukee is in an interesting position entering 2023-24. The Bucks got a big win in free agency by retaining Brook Lopez and as expected, Khris Middleton re-signed to a three-year, $102 million deal. If Milwaukee’s run-it-back effort doesn’t work out, its two-time MVP could leave Wisconsin behind. You best believe that New York would do everything in its power to land Giannis Antetokounmpo.
2: Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is a player that’s been linked to the Knicks this offseason. With James Harden opting into his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24 in the hopes of being traded, the Sixers could grant Harden’s wish or hold onto him for at least the start of next season. Far more attention has been placed on Damian Lillard’s future rather than Harden’s.
Philadelphia is in desperation mode to keep Embiid happy, so the front office isn’t going to accept a measly return for Harden if a trade does happen. The Sixers have lost Georges Niang, Shake Milton, and Jalen McDaniels so far this offseason and have added Patrick Beverley.
Embiid signed a four-year, $196 million supermax deal last offseason and after 2023-24, he’ll have three years left on his contract, which includes a $59 million player option in 2026-27.
Philadelphia has been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals the past three seasons. If a similar result happens this upcoming season and the Sixers fail to at least make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, Embiid could decide to leave The Process in the past. He already has ties with the Knicks as he was represented by Leon Rose when he was with the CAA.
Trading the 2022-23 NBA MVP to a division rival would be a lot for Philadelphia to stomach, but if New York keeps hold of its assets, the Knicks would be able to give the Sixers the best offer.
1: Donovan Mitchell
No, the Donovan Mitchell-Knicks trade dream hasn’t ended. New York had a chance to get the guard last summer but didn’t meet Danny Ainge’s demands. Instead, he went to Cleveland. The Knicks were clowned for not trading for Mitchell but they were the ones to eliminate the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
Mitchell could be a free agent in 2025, but if he exercises his $37 million player option for 2025-26, he won’t be a free agent until the summer of 2026. New York could make a play at him then, but there’s always the possibility that he’d request a trade before that point.
The New York native said several times after being traded to Cleveland that he thought that he was going to “go home” to the Knicks. In an interview following his first full season with the Cavaliers, Mitchell raved about what it was like to play at MSG during the playoffs. Many assumed that meant he still has the desire to play with the Knicks, which could be true, but it isn’t unusual for an opposing player to love playing at the Garden.
Cleveland didn’t make the playoff run that it hoped after acquiring Mitchell last offseason, so the 2023-24 season will be especially critical for the Cavaliers. Mitchell is no stranger to being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs as he faced that same fate in three of his five seasons with the Jazz. If Cleveland is sent home in the first round, or even the semifinals in 2024, the lure of going to New York may be too strong for Mitchell to ignore.
Maybe Donovan Mitchell is destined to be a Knick. That’s a sentence that should make every Cavaliers fan sick, but even they know that it’s a possibility.
9 Players the New York Knicks gave up on way too soon
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