The New York Knicks have made a plethora of moves in recent seasons to get them to where they are today. However, not every move has been perfect. New York may have just had its most successful season in a decade, but things could come crashing down in the blink of an eye.
Leon Rose has made some smart moves, such as signing Jalen Brunson on a deal that now looks like a total steal. Despite this, he’s made some other moves that very well could come back to haunt him in the next couple of years.
3 recent moves that could be disastrous for the Knicks in 2023-24
3. Not drafting a player in the first round the last two years
The Knicks have plenty of young talent in the form of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Quentin Grimes. However, the last two drafts have been incredibly boring for fans of the team. Not only did the team not have any pick in this year’s draft, but in 2022 they traded out of the first round.
New York may have traded out of the first in 2022 to acquire more cap space to sign Brunson, but they easily could have cleared cap space in different ways. Instead of acquiring a young talent like Tari Eason or Jalen Duren, the Knicks got nothing.
Brunson is great and there’s no doubt he’s better than anyone that the Knicks could’ve selected in the draft. However, as mentioned before, Rose easily could have still drafted someone in the first round while trading the players he did to make it easier to sign Brunson. It likely won’t be the end of the world, but having either of the players mentioned before or someone else on the roster would undoubtedly make the Knicks better.
Even if New York didn’t intend to keep whoever they drafted, they’d still be another intriguing piece in a potential trade for a superstar. We understand why Rose did what he did, but it still would have been nice to have drafted more than just Trevor Keels in the last two seasons.
While the Knicks may not have had a pick in the 2023 draft, it still would have been beneficial for the team to trade up in the first round to acquire a potential player to replace Obi Toppin. Next season though, New York could have up to four first-round picks. It’ll be good to know that the Knicks could have some intriguing young talent on the way.