The Knicks shook up their franchise and the larger NBA landscape by kicking off trade season with the acquisition of OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors.
New York sent out two developing homegrown products in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley in the riskiest move of the Leon Rose Era — one with multiple angles and branching impacts.
In securing the perfect third fiddle to Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, the Knicks opened up new holes on the roster, while maintaining their trade capital and ambitions to use it. One simple but big open-ended question would be — what’s next?
A key takeaway from the deal was New York avoiding sending any first-round picks, leaving their chest full for the right superstar trade to come down the pipe.
The Knicks have operated almost entirely under the strategy of improving the team while remaining flexible and accumulating assets until they can make the superstar trade, and this move was no different.
Will they make that trade now and go all the way in? It’s not clear if that ideal target is currently available, and how much the Knicks want to watch this team before pursuing him.
In terms of the immediate prospects of this roster, bringing in a know-your-role wing in exchange for two offensive initiators has left the Knicks bereft of creators. It’s really just Brunson and Randle, with Miles McBride being the only healthy alternative point guard and the remaining two guards better away from the ball.
An additional dependable offensive guard is needed. A decent one plugs the gap, but a prolific one really makes things interesting.
New York could trade multiple picks for Donovan Mitchell or Dejounte Murray, or try and get Jordan Clarkson or Malcolm Brogdon for a fraction of that price.
The former should be a tantalizing gamble if available to them. A package of Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, unprotected first-round picks and filler will put them in the running for someone of that caliber.
If the ultimate image is Brunson-Mitchell-Anunoby-Randle-Mitchell Robinson, that’s a serious team to take into the postseason. They could aim higher, for an MVP-level player like Joel Embiid, but that may require the Knicks to part with Randle.
For that reason, and because other intriguing targets like Devin Booker may become available down the line, it’s reasonable to expect the Knicks to see this version of their team out. They can also see how Anunoby functions on this squad before his extension and wait out the market for another inexpensive upgrade.
In the meantime, a trade for immediate help at guard is needed.
McBride (recently extended) and Malachi Flynn are nice options who will get looks, but may not look the part in tougher matchups.
Along with Clarkson and Brogdon, there are other interesting options who shouldn’t dig too deeply into New York’s asset pile, including Delon Wright, Collin Sexton and Cole Anthony.
There’s also the backup center option, with Robinson’s return from injury in question and Tom Thibodeau’s options being Taj Gibson and Precious Achiuwa. This is less pressing than the guard situation, but something worth monitoring as the Knicks head into the trade deadline and offseason.
Beyond those two weak points, on paper and in an extremely small sample size on the court, this team looks set to be a dominant force in the East, maybe one that can challenge its best teams with a small follow-up addition. Management will likely want to see them play this year out as they await their next opportunity to improve it.
Even while following a tight playbook, the Rose era has been full of surprising twists. But when it comes to the Knicks’ short-and long-term futures, it’s always looked bright — and hasn’t looked brighter than it does right now.