Pros and cons to a Knicks blockbuster trade

Shaking up the core is a possibility, but is it the best way forward?

It’s June 18th. The Knicks still don’t have a head coach. Despite this, the front office also needs to prepare for the upcoming offseason. The NBA Draft begins in seven days, free agency begins in 12 days, and the new league year begins in just under three weeks.

Aside from the highly publicized and ridiculously scrutinized coaching search, the biggest news surrounding the Knicks since they were eliminated at the end of May is the possibility of making a big trade for the second consecutive offseason and shaking up an admittedly flawed core.

The player saga of the early offseason revolves around Kevin Durant and his likely departure from the overwhelming failure that has been the Phoenix Suns under Mat Ishbia. Durant’s top-five destinations included the Knicks, but the team’s assets appear to be dried up. With the Suns not enamored with taking back Karl-Anthony Towns, the buzz died down between the two teams.

However, as Durant’s list of suitors has continued to narrow, it’s come out that Durant was eyeing the Big Apple for the second time in his career, this time for the big brother.

I guess the Knicks are cool now, Kevin. Too bad the team doesn’t appear to be interested.

The most recent rumor, initially reported by Kris Pursiainen of ClutchPoints, connected Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Knicks following the offloading of Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic. While it seems to be unlikely that Jackson (or Ja Morant) go anywhere, the Knicks’ interest in Taylor Jenkins for their head coaching vacancy, as well as Jackson’s ties to CAA have sparked the flames.

But is a big move really needed for this team? There’s benefits and drawbacks to a big shakeup, but it’s a realistic possibility. The Athletic’s James E. Edwards III gave it a 40% chance that one of 2024-25’s starters are moved before Opening Night. It can happen, but should it?

Pro: This core was flawed

It’s very hard to win a championship with two “cones” on defense.

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are both bad defenders. While Brunson’s is a matter of his lack of physical gifts (standing 6’1” with an average wingspan and limited athleticism), Towns is a pretty putrid rim protector and is not exactly graceful defensively. Both of their shortcomings allowed the Indiana Pacers to dominate them in every coverage, whether it was pick-and-roll, switching, drop coverage, etc.

The rest of the core isn’t absolved of blame, either. Mikal Bridges was disappointing as a point-of-attack defender and routinely failed to keep up with some of the league’s best guards. He and OG Anunoby were the glue holding the defense together, but both encountered extreme offensive inconsistency. Josh Hart slowed down from his great start (partially due to a knee injury, I presume) and was a borderline detriment to the team in the playoffs due to his lack of spacing clogging the offense.

One year after a series of consolidation moves, there’s a case to get deeper. Both teams in the NBA Finals are deep. Indiana and Oklahoma City are going ten deep, while the Knicks were uncomfortable going past eight in the playoffs. Someone could absolutely get traded for depth. A superpowered starting five is not a prerequisite for a title.

Con: What’s the urgency?

Leon Rose has done a terrific job of building the Knicks from a laughing stock to two wins from the NBA Finals in just five seasons. He’s proven to not be loyal to a detriment (Julius Randle, Tom Thibodeau) and has mostly stayed away from crippling moves that doom most regimes (we’ll see about Mikal).

One thing that is a weakness of Rose’s, however, is patience.

After his first season, he shuffled the starting five to add Evan Fournier and Kemba Walker. After that disaster, he elevated Quentin Grimes while bringing in Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein. A year and a half later, he parted with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to bring in OG. Just a few months later, he brought in Bridges and Towns.

The overall trend is that Rose is always looking to shake things up. The Knicks haven’t started one season and ended the next with four starters staying the same in a long time.

If the Knicks decided to give Tom Thibodeau a sixth season, a change would be warranted. You can’t fully run it back. But if you fired Thibodeau, you clearly believe that this group could be optimized further. You don’t give this core the opportunity to shine if you make a change before you see if a new coach can optimize their talent better.

Pro: It can pay off big time

Let’s use JJJ and KD as examples.

In acquiring Jaren Jackson Jr., you immediately upgrade your defense. Jackson is an incredible defender and is a dream fit alongside Towns. If anyone can come in and not only space the floor (37.5% from 3 last year) but maximize a double big lineup, it’s the former Defensive Player of the Year. A package would revolve around Mikal Bridges and could also involve Mitchell Robinson.

With Durant, which is admittedly unlikely, you would see one of the greatest scorers in NBA history don the orange and blue. Despite entering next year at age 37, he’s still a top-shelf offensive talent and is good enough defensively that you aren’t going to have two negative defenders on the court. Brunson and Durant is a lethal offense.

Con: It’s immensely risky

On the flip side, both can go very, very wrong.

With Jackson, he’s a mediocre rebounder (5.5/game) for his size and his 3-point shot has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career. If he runs into another 32% season, it’s just Josh Hart all over again. Further, while Bridges seems likely to take the four-year, $156 million extension, Jackson would be more likely to wait a year and cash in on a near-$300 million extension. That’s where the Nova Knicks chemistry helps financially.

With Durant, he’s injury prone, old, and has been a diva many times in the past. He’s played just 70 games once since leaving Golden State in 2019 and his body continues to degrade. Meanwhile, losing KAT means relying on an injury-prone Mitchell Robinson. Plus, with KD’s age, if he suffers another serious injury, the window is shut. His career is over. There’s nowhere to go, as his value disintegrates. This is a desperation move.

Pro: The clock is ticking

The Knicks built their team envisioning a four-year window, but with the new CBA, it’s not that simple.

The Knicks will be in the second apron in 2026-27. That is almost a certainty if they’re still trying to contend. That’s also the year that the luxury tax will start to choke James Dolan with the repeater tax.

Further, the team got Jalen Brunson to take a $113 million pay cut to win now. Brunson is owed significantly more down the road, with the Knicks only having until 2027-28 before Brunson is eligible to sign a supermax contract that looks like… this:

Spotrac

Goodbye flexibility. Can’t waste a year of JB for cheap.

Con: Are you really that far away?

The Knicks were two games from the NBA Finals. If they didn’t have a once-in-a-lifetime collapse in Game 1, they’d have forced Game 7 in MSG for a spot in the dance.

The Pacers, conversely, have more than held their own with the seemingly unbeatable Thunder and are two games away from their first NBA title.

With the Eastern Conference missing a definitive top dog next year, who’s saying the Knicks, with better depth and adjustments, can’t make the NBA Finals and compete for a championship? Isn’t it worth giving it a shot with a new coach?

What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!