MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 07: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves stands on the court between plays in the third quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Target Center on November 7, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Bleacher Report is actually spot-on with Knicks’ biggest offseason fear
Another offseason that consists of New York Knicks fans wondering whether or not a star will make their way to The Big Apple is here. At this time last year, Donovan Mitchell had already been identified as a player that could be on the move after Utah suffered another first-round playoff exit. He was on New York’s radar from day one.
So far this year, names like Karl-Anthony Towns, Trae Young, and even Joel Embiid have been brought up. To no surprise, the Knicks are reportedly hoping that the Sixers’ chaos will grow to be too much for Embiid and that a trade request will follow. That’s more of a pipe dream at this point.
Leading up to the official start of the NBA offseason, more will be known about which star players will/won’t be made available this summer. From there, the front office will be able to assess the risks of making a trade. New York wasn’t willing to meet Utah’s demands for Mitchell, so don’t expect their mindset to be different this year.
A recent Bleacher Report article discussed each team’s biggest fear for the offseason, and for the Knicks, it was centered around the front office “cashing in their trade chips too early.”
Will Knicks continue to be patient in pursuit of star player this offseason?
New York is coming off its best season in years in which Jalen Brunson emerged as a star, so the team is closer to being a contender than many expected. In theory, that might speed up the front office’s push to land a star, but Leon Rose and Co. need to proceed carefully.
Specifically, that means not going after a player like KAT if the Timberwolves showed a willingness to listen to calls for the center. He has connections to the Knicks but isn’t worth the steep price that New York would have to pay. It would be rather disappointing if the Knicks were to go all-in on Towns after passing on the Donovan Mitchell opportunity. The good news is that New York has shown that it’s smarter than that.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley agreed. He wrote: “Towns is a solid player, but he is unlikely to lift the Knicks into contention.” Buckley believes that the Knicks should continue to let their core “grow organically and wait for the right superstar to hit the trade market before going all-in.”
That’s something that every Knicks fan should agree with. The last thing that the fanbase should want to see is New York going after a star simply because it’s what everyone else expects. If the right star isn’t on the market this summer, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Knicks decided to only make a series of minor moves this summer.
Patience is the name of the game.
