Knicks insider confirms what fans already believed about potential star trade

Two years ago, the New York Knicks missed the Play-In Tournament and continued to be mocked by NBA fans. Oh, so much has changed. New York has since made it to the second round in consecutive seasons without cashing in its assets for another star.

The Athletic's Fred Katz reported that the Knicks are targeting the 2024 offseason for their star trade (subscription required), as the collective bargaining agreement will complicate things next summer. It's still too early to know who may or may not be available.

There has been a lot of chatter about specific players, such as Donovan Mitchell and Karl-Anthony Towns. The latter helped lead the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost in five games against the Mavericks. Minnesota's future is promising with Anthony Edwards at the helm, but the front office could consider trading KAT this summer because of their financial situation.

In 2022, Towns signed a four-year, $224 million supermax extension that runs through the 2026-27 season with a $61.2 million player option in 2027-28. For reference, Jalen Brunson could sign an extension worth $156 million this summer, and he's a far more impactful player than Towns.

SNY's Ian Begley recently wrote about a potential KAT trade. Begley didn't say the Knicks should trade for him, nor did he imply Towns is the star New York should go after. Instead, he explored what a trade could look like and what it'd mean for each team.

Ian Begley confirms belief that Jalen Brunson is only untouchable player on Knicks roster

While discussing a trade, Begley listed the players the Knicks could include in a deal for an All-Star, but he purposefully left one player out.

"My read is that any player outside of Brunson would be available in the right trade, as you’d expect."

- Ian Begley, SNY

New York has one untouchable player. No, that doesn't mean the front office should be discussing deals involving Julius Randle, Josh Hart, or Donte DiVincenzo. Instead, as Begley mentioned, if the right player hits the market, the Knicks could be willing to trade one or more of those players. You can't get a star without giving up the right combination of players and draft assets.

This is a hypothetical scenario, but if Giannis Antetokounmpo requested a trade, do you think New York would refuse to go all-in if Milwaukee demanded Randle? Or Hart? Or DiVincenzo? Or another player outside of Brunson? No.

The Knicks are Brunson's team. He isn't going anywhere.