Hypothetical Knicks Trades to Boost Pursuit of 2024 NBA Title
The New York Knicks probably aren't ready to compete for an NBA title.
They have, however, made enough progress to think (or at least hope) that one more trade might get them over the hump.
We're here to piece together that trade. The following three deals might all get the Knicks on the fast-track toward title contention.
Adding an Elite Shooter
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The Trade: Obi Toppin, Evan Fournier and a protected first-round pick to the Indiana Pacers for Buddy Hield
New York's offense has been awesome. Entering Wednesday night, the Knicks were fifth overall in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com.
That's obviously a great number, but what's even greater is the potential for this offense to improve. That ranking has loads to do with Julius Randle's bounce-back, Jalen Brunson's arrival and Immanuel Quickley's ascension. It doesn't have much to do with the club's perimeter attack, which is pretty middling: 12th in threes, 22nd in three-point percentage.
An elite shot-maker like Buddy Hield could be the puzzle piece that pushes the Knicks to the very top of the league. He is set to splash better than three triples per game for the fifth consecutive season, and his 42.1 percent conversion rate is the third-best of his career.
If the Pacers want to get younger for a reset around 23-year-old Tyrese Haliburton and 20-year-old Bennedict Mathurin, they might view Hield as replaceable and this package helpful to their rebuild. Obi Toppin could fill their void at power forward, Evan Fournier could step in as the new spacing specialist (until Indy flip him for further assets) and the draft pick would give this group another throw at the dart board.
Landing a Top-Shelf Scorer
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The Trade: RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson to the Chicago Bulls for Zach LaVine
It wasn't that long ago that RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson felt like New York's two most important players. Randle and Brunson have since surpassed them, though, and maybe that will nudge New York into getting that pair more high-level help.
Zach LaVine could go berserk in Gotham. Casual fans might know him mostly for his above-the-rim artistry, but he has developed one of the deepest scoring bags in the business. He is about to finish his fourth consecutive campaign with 24-plus points per game, and he has hit those marks with impressive efficiency (47.9/39.3/83.9 slash since the beginning of 2019-20).
An offense with LaVine, Randle and Brunson would present the opposition with an endless string of pick-your-poison scenarios. There would be no right way to handle it, and that's before accounting for the further development of players like Quickley and Quentin Grimes. If the Knicks bring back Josh Hart, they should have enough to replace Barrett, while Isaiah Hartenstein and Jericho Sims could fill the void left by Robinson.
Why would the Bulls consider this? Because a rebuild is probably inevitable, and this trade would immediately make them younger and more financially flexible.
Getting a Dynamic Defender
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The Trade: Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and two first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for O.G. Anunoby
No, the idea of the Knicks trading for O.G. Anunoby isn't totally original. They reportedly chased him hard at the deadline.
"There were rumblings the Knicks talked to the Raptors about Evan Fournier, and I think it was three first-round picks for O.G. Anunoby, but talks didn't go far," HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported in March.
Maybe Toronto would change its tune if one of those picks was replaced by an actual on-court contributor like Quentin Grimes, who boasts some really intriguing three-and-D skills and is three years younger than Anunoby.
If the Raptors get on board, it's a no-brainer for the Knicks. Anunoby is the wing stopper who could take this defense to the next level, and he'd add shot-making plus a pinch of creation on the offensive end.
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