This is the year that the New York Knicks are supposed to break through in the Eastern Conference and return to the NBA Finals for the first time in a quarter-century. Once again, their top competition appears to be the Boston Celtics, and the task will grow much more difficult if the Celtics trade for a star big like Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Knicks appeared poised to take control of the Eastern Conference. Three playoff teams from last season lost stars to Achilles tears, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been inconsistent all year, and the Orlando Magic have battled their own injury issues and haven't taken a step forward. It was supposed to be the Knicks and the upstart Detroit Pistons, and given the Pistons' youth, the Knicks would have felt confident about staying on top.
The excitement and presumption of the early part of the season have begun to fall apart, however. The Knicks are wobbling themselves, with multiple key players going in-and-out of the lineup and the post-NBA-Cup malaise hitting them as hard as it has past winners. New York is 2-8 in its last 10 games and only two games above the Play-In Tournament line.
The Knicks have their own things to work through, and they hope to do so in time for a strong postseason run. The one unexpected barrier they will have to face, however, is the Boston Celtics. Not only is their decades-long rival exceeding expectations this season without Jayson Tatum, who is rehabbing a torn Achilles, but now they may level up and regain their place as the Eastern Conference favorite.
The Boston Celtics could trade for Jaren Jackson Jr.
Boston was supposed to have a gap year similar to the Indiana Pacers this season, but two things stood in the way: their main players have mostly been healthy, and their role players have stepped up when asked to play larger roles. Jaylen Brown and Derrick White have been incredible, Jordan Walsh has come out of nowhere, and the likes of Neemias Queta and Hugo Gonzalez have played important rotation roles.
The expectation for the Celtics at the Trade Deadline this season was to move off of some money and duck below the luxury tax, resetting the clock on the dreaded "repeater tax" and continuing their summer mission of offloading salary. Now that Boston is in second place in the East, however, that calculus might have changed.
The latest rumors show that the Celtics are searching for a long-term center option to pair with Queta, and Mike Scotto of HoopsHype reported that they have called about Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. The former Defensive Player of the Year is not on the trade market necessarily, but as the Grizzlies retool their roster, it's not unthinkable that they would move him for the right deal.
Boston is already quite scary, given their institutional knowledge and the looming specter of a Jayson Tatum return before the playoffs. Their one weak spot was the center position; Queta and offseason pickup Luka Garza have been better than expected, but it was the one spot in the starting lineup not held by a proven playoff player.
Add in an All-Defense candidate who is versatile enough to execute multiple schemes and is also a confident shooter from beyond the arc, and suddenly the same formula that propelled them to the championship in 2024 would return to Boston. Gone would be the weak spot for Karl-Anthony Towns to attack and in its place would be a floor-spacing All-Star big man with elite defensive chops.
The Knicks will have a difficult task on their hands getting out of the Eastern Conference. The Detroit Pistons are young but talented, the Cavaliers are still lurking, the Philadelphia 76ers have plenty of upside if they are healthy. Boston has proven they will be a difficult out.
If they add Jaren Jackson Jr., the mountain may be too high to climb. The Knicks have to hope those rumors fizzle out, or the playoffs may bring yet more disappointment to New York City.