We're not at the halftime mark of the 2023-24 season, but especially for a team like the New York Knicks, it's never too early to look ahead to the future. Will the Knicks trade for a star in the 2024 offseason? Who might that star be?
Those are a couple of questions that New York fans and the media have been asking for a few years now, but only the front office has an inkling of the direction the organization will take.
There's still a lot of basketball left to be played this season, but just for fun, let's try to predict what New York's starting lineup will look like in 2024-25.
Predicting the New York Knicks' 2024-25 starting lineup
PG: Jalen Brunson
Jalen Brunson isn't going anywhere. He should be the only player on the roster deemed untouchable. He's helped to breathe life back into a fan base devoid of hope, leading the charge in the 2023 postseason.
Even New York fans didn't expect Brunson to be as phenomenal as he's been since signing in the 2022 offseason. They knew their point guard of the future was an upgrade from what they had in previous seasons (which isn't saying much). It didn't take long after the 2022-23 season started for the conversation to shift from Brunson being overpaid to him being underpaid.
The 2024-25 season will likely be Brunson's last on the contract he signed with New York in free agency. He has a $25 million player option for 2025-26 that he could decline to become an unrestricted free agent, but that doesn't mean he'll leave the Knicks. Brunson's due for a huge payday, as he's on a bargain deal.
With New York still pursuing a star, it's hard to predict what the starting five will look like even a season from now. However, Brunson's spot is safe and should be for several years.