Ranking New York Knicks' Offseason Trade Targets

After spending all of 2023-24 energizing their fan base and electrifying Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks were eliminated from this postseason by the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

Now, the roster will have all summer to heal up, while the organization will have a chance to potentially make some aggressive trade offers.

The Knicks having Jalen Brunson on a below-market-value contract gives them the opportunity to expend assets to bring him a star teammate.

And that's exactly what they can get with some combination of the following:

• Julius Randle;
• Bojan Bogdanović's expiring contract;
• Seven unprotected future first-round picks;
• Four protected future first-round picks; and
• Eight future second-round picks.

So, who should they go after with some or most of the above? Scroll below to find out.

5. Bruce Brown

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Bruce Brown

This is the conservative option.

The Knicks already beat expectations this season. They can probably talk themselves into thinking a deeper run was in play with better health.

And moving Bogdanović's expiring deal and maybe some second-rounders for Bruce Brown would add defensive versatility and playmaking to supplement what's already there (rather than replace anyone).

A rotation that includes Brown, Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart could be pretty small, but all four play bigger than their height. And New York will presumably have healthier versions of OG Anunoby, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson back in action next season.

4. Donovan Mitchell

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Donovan Mitchell

The Knicks and Donovan Mitchell were seemingly circling each other for months, dating all the way back to when he was still with the Utah Jazz.

But Mitchell and Brunson have both spent two full seasons in their current situations now. And the ascension of Brunson to bona fide superstar status makes this fit a lot less obvious than it seemed in 2022.

Mitchell is an immense talent, but he's 6'3". And starting him next to the 6'2" Brunson would make New York's starting backcourt awfully small. The need for both to play with the ball in their hands would take a lot of sorting out, too.

But both of these players are capable of averaging 25-30 points. As a pure talent play, New York could probably sell it to the fans. And an offense with those two would have plenty of potential.

3. Zach LaVine

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Zach LaVine

Zach LaVine isn't as good as Mitchell. He also comes with more questions about his health. But he's probably a better fit for the Knicks for a few reasons.

For one thing, his size (6'5" with a 6'8" wingspan) makes him a more natural wing. And spending the last few seasons with DeMar DeRozan has helped LaVine acclimate to not being a No. 1 option.

As a floor spacer and secondary creator playing off of Brunson and Randle, LaVine could dominate opponents' second or third best perimeter defenders.

2. Mikal Bridges

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Mikal Bridges

This one is about more than sentimental value.

Yeah, it's cool that the Knicks already have three former Villanova Wildcats teammates in Brunson, DiVincenzo and Hart. And adding a fourth would be fun, too.

But there would be a real functional benefit to doing so. Watching New York, you can tell there's a connection between the college teammates that allows them to read and anticipate where each other will be.

And that chemistry led to the Knicks being plus-8.8 points per 100 possessions when all three were on the floor.

But again, that trio is a little small for the NBA. Hart's sometimes inconsistent outside shooting can tighten things up for the offense.

Mikal Bridges, another former Wildcat who played with Brunson, is 6'6" with a 7'1" wingspan. He's hit 38.4 percent of his three-point attempts over the last four seasons.

And if there's one thing we've learned about during his brief stint with the Brooklyn Nets, it's that Bridges is probably better suited to be a third or fourth option than he is a leading man.

In lineups with Brunson, Randle, Anunoby and another rotation player, Bridges' gap-filling game would go a long way.

1. Devin Booker

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Devin Booker

With the amount of assets New York has, it might as well make some calls on players who might not be available.

And at the moment, Devin Booker certainly seems to qualify as such a player.

Despite the Phoenix Suns being in perhaps the league's biggest team-building quagmire (they leveraged almost everything to get Kevin Durant, and then somehow leveraged what was already leveraged to get Bradley Beal), Mat Ishbia is maintaining his win-now stance.

And despite rumors that Booker might want to play for the Knicks, recent reports suggest there's no trade request on the way.

But New York can pile together enough salary and draft picks to at least make someone in Phoenix's front office think about this potential off-ramp.

With their draft capital spent, Beal and Durant past their primes and the cap sheet way beyond the dreaded second apron, it's not hard to argue the Suns' future is bleak.

Moving Booker and KD could bring some light to that horizon.

And from New York's basketball perspective, this deal makes plenty of sense.

Booker is one of the two or three best shooting guards in the league. His scoring prowess and prototypical wing's frame would take tons of attention away from Brunson and have opposing defenses under constant attack.

Long Shots

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Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo

While we're at it, we might as well at least mention Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As is the case with Booker and the Suns, neither of these superstars has asked out. Their teams might not even move them if they did.

They are franchise cornerstone-level talents, and those aren't easy to come by.

But Embiid was drafted in 2014 and has yet to make a conference finals. The Milwaukee Bucks are on their third coach in just over 12 months, Giannis at least alluded to moving on last summer, and then the team was eliminated in the first round for the second straight season last month.

If either perennial MVP candidate did become available this summer, New York would be in a unique position to offer one of the league's best markets to the star and plenty of assets to either's current team.