It’s been 11 days since the Knicks saw their season come to an end as they fell to the Miami Heat in game 6 of the second round of the NBA playoffs.
With the NBA season soon coming to a close as a finals matchup could be set tonight, let’s look at what an exciting upcoming offseason could look like for New York.
Will Julius Randle Stay?
Julius Randle does not have many New Yorkers on his side right now. Although the Knicks forward had a successful regular season, averaging 25.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds, a lackluster playoff performance has left his future with the team in doubt and has turned even more of the fanbase against him. His regular season stats don’t grow on trees, however, so trading Randle isn’t an easy decision for the Knicks’ front office to make.
A Randle trade would have to bring a valuable return, including draft picks and a couple of valuable players to come to New York. There are many factors to consider, and it’ll be interesting to see what ends up happening to Randle this summer.
Trade Rumors
As the offseason approaches, trade rumors have percolated, as always. Since the 76ers were eliminated by the Celtics in game 7 of the second round just a couple of days after the Knicks playoff exit, rumors have swelled about a possible connection between star Philadelphia center Joel Embiid and New York. Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News previously reported that since midseason, he had been told that Embiid “Is the guy to watch for the Knicks,” and the 76ers’ early playoff exit has reinforced that belief.
Philadelphia is at risk of losing James Harden this offseason, and they are currently searching for a new head coach after their fired Doc Rivers. They are in a tricky spot after yet another early playoff exit, and while it is still likely Embiid will return to Philly next season, there is a possibility he could be moved or ask to be moved. NBA insider Marc Stein has said the Embiid-Knicks rumors are “Strictly media chatter… There are no legs to it… yet”. While it may just be rumors, it will be interesting to see if the Knicks call Philadelphia about Embiid this offseason.
The Knicks have many pieces that give them options for potential trades this summer – young players and 8 future first-round draft picks, which become trade-eligible this offseason. In addition to acquiring a big star, New York could try to trade for a well-established and consistent player who doesn’t quite live up to superstar status. OG Anunoby, DeMar DeRozan, or Pascal Siakam are all potential options. New York has options, and a big trade may be in store for the team.
Many rumors are circling around – New York may be looking to trade Randle, maybe looking to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota. We’ll see which, if any, of these rumors hold true this offseason as the Knicks continue to move forward and build after a successful season.
The Draft is Almost Here
New York is without a draft pick this summer, as they gave up this year’s pick to the Trail Blazers for Josh Hart, and Dallas was able to keep their pick from the Knicks as they snuck in the top ten of the draft.
With a very deep draft this year, Leon Rose may try to get a late first-round pick or, more likely, a second-round pick with a deal. Draft day is 30 days away; we’ll see if the Knicks end up making a pick that night.
An Important Off-season Approaches
It goes without saying that this is a critical offseason for the Knicks. After their most successful season in ten years, excitement about this team in New York is at a high that hasn’t been seen in decades. The Knicks are a young team with many assets and financial flexibility, as no player makes over 30 million dollars – rare for a playoff team.
As the season wraps up and the offseason gets underway, it’ll be exciting to see this team’s direction to continue to build in an important summer. The Knicks were in a similar situation a couple of years ago following the 2020-2021 season, and had a dismal year following as they rolled out the same team with very little change.
With the right moves this offseason, the Knicks should continue their uphill trajectory and be ready to keep building the hope they’ve created in New York and keep moving forward.
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