Every offseason, there is a new superstar, new hype coming into the season that the New York Knicks can finally use their intrigue of heritage and market to pull in a big name signing. It was KD, Lebron, Kyrie, and countless others. If they were even thinking about a move, it’s on the headlines. This year is much the same, with noise around the likes of Donovan Mitchell and even KD. Yet, like every other year the season is right around the corner and there is never a superstar wearing the New York white and orange.
Did they add anyone?
The one positive note that can be reached is that at least the Knicks signed someone to their roster. It might not have been a massive star, but Jalen Brunson brings that 2nd star talent. He showed the ability to run the offense during multiple postseason games against Utah, but also maintains the flexibility to play with other stars like he did with Luka in Dallas. Brunson brings the solid 15 ppg per night, but can also pop off for an occasional 30 bomb whenever he is needed to.
The problem isn’t Brunson, the 104 million dollar contract they handed might be a little over the top, but New York will need to find stars to fit around their new signing. New York has money strapped to Julius Randle and he might find some kind of form again, but all signs are pointing to the full fledged emergence of R.J Barrett. If Barrett can up his efficiency and bring more balance to the offense, we could see a legit one-two pairing between Barrett and Brunson. Both players have individual scoring, but the thing is that the Knicks don’t have a solidified playmaker who can score but also make sure the entire team is involved. The Knicks will need at least one of these players to develop into a top playmaker, and make the spending splurge they had during the offseason somewhat justified.
How did they miss out again?
The biggest name that stands out is obviously Donovan Mitchell. They had the offer, all the ammo, but the Knicks could never finish the deal. This was a massive swing and a massive miss. Mitchell would have taken the team to an entirely different level, and given the solidified playmaker that we mentioned above. Not only that, but the hometown connection with Mitchell made it seem like this move was written in the stars. But again this just goes onto the list of trades that could have been. This doesn’t even cover the mess that became of the draft, in which the Knicks lost what seemed to be a perfect pick in Jalen Duren for a few picks and some salary shedding. At the end of the day, you can’t fault the Knicks for trying because they put all their chips on the table for Mitchell and have been doing the same for every major free agent they have been targeting. The problem is that New York is either getting pushed out for better packages, or seems to be losing the appeal with free agents around the league. This is a problem that New York must solve because, judging by recent form, this team is making no major improvements through the draft.
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