The New York Knicks may be the third-seed in the Eastern Conference standings at 35-21 and are constantly being listed in the upper echelon of 2026 NBA Championship odds, but, as of late, it seems people are gradually souring on their ability to win their first title since 1973.
The Ringer's Howard Beck is the most recent noteworthy figure to voice his concern about the state of this squad, as he's now publicly wondering whether Leon Rose and company could consider waiving the white flag on their current core come the offseason should they fall short of an NBA Finals berth.
"The Knicks are now on, whatever it is, year two... of [Karl-Anthony] Towns... Because of the Giannis thing hanging out there and other factors, we don't really know how many more chances, if at all with this core, [they'll get]," Beck said. "The Knicks... went all-in on Mikal Bridges... To their credit, they are right there but it's a more crowded race than we anticipated."
Knicks core may have limited time to prove championship viability
Since Jalen Brunson's arrival back in the summer of 2022, the Knicks have managed to improve with every passing year.
Last season, after officially going all-in on a championship push with the Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges trades, they were able to clinch their first Eastern Conference Finals berth since the 1999-2000 season.
Now, in their follow-up with the primary four of Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and OG Anunoby leading the charge, the widespread belief is that anything short of an appearance in the championship round would be a failure, and, according to the likes of Stephen A. Smith, "they ain't going to no damn Finals."
Should this wind up proving to be the case, and New York falls short of a Finals berth yet again, as Beck alluded to, the future of their core could and very well should be in serious jeopardy.
It is widely believed that anything short of a title-round run will serve as the catalyst for this front office to go star hunting come the offseason.
With battle-tested champions like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard both being pegged as realistic star trade targets this summer, who could really blame the Knicks if they turn toward such a route?
Now, of course, going down such a path would almost certainly require someone like Towns, Anunoby, and/ or Bridges to be moved in the process, as all three are slated to rank in the top four in salary next season and would be needed to make the finances of any blockbuster exchange work.
Seeing such a seismic shakeup may not be the preferred scenario for Knicks fans, but with the fact that they're in win-now mode, are already expected to have one of the game's highest payrolls, and will likely be looking to "do right" by Brunson both from a fiscal and contention standpoint in the not-too-distant future, if they miss out on the 2026 NBA Finals, it may prove to be the only option.