The New York Knicks have been a revelation this past season. A franchise with a history second to none and playing the Mecca of basketball has been somewhat of a disappointment since the days of Carmelo Anthony. All that is about to change, however, with the signing of Jalen Brunson and a return to all-star caliber level of play for Julius Randle, the Knicks’ future seems more than bright.
The Knicks were able to make the eastern conference semifinals in the 2023 NBA postseason, after not winning a playoff series for 10 whole years. They defeated the new and improved Cleveland Cavaliers and were able to silence the scoring machine that is Donovan Mitchell. The fans who thought the Knicks made a mistake in the 2022 offseason by giving Jalen Brunson a large contract are now thanking their stars that they got an all-star level player on a bargain of a deal.
Another thing that has helped propel the Knicks closer to the promised land is the elevated play of Julius Randle. The star power forward averaged 25 points, 4 assists, and 10 rebounds this season and was a crucial cog in the Knicks’ machine. The addition of rebound man Josh Hart at the trade deadline brought some much-needed chemistry and hustle to the heart of the Knicks team. With veteran support of the bench provided by the one and only Derrick Rose, the Knicks are in excellent shape and look to be contenders, if they make the right offseason moves.
New York Knicks look to cash in on Clippers’ star breakup
The word on the NBA circuit is that the Los Angeles Clippers may be looking to break up the Kawhi Leonard–Paul George star duo and end the failed experiment. The Clippers were able to sign Leonard in the 2020 offseason and trade for George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. To the franchise’s credit, they surrounded them with more than able roleplayers, but due to injuries and general bad luck, the team has only one conference finals appearance to show for all their effort, which came in 2021.
Clippers are gauging Paul George’s trade value and are “giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George tandem,” per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/UJk4t3VeJY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 21, 2023
Both stars are aging and while Leonard still holds the superstar status, George may be on the chopping block as trade bait for some younger talent. The Clippers probably already are regretting trading their young point guard Shai Gilgeous Alexander for 50 games of PG13 a season. Alexander has now gone on to be a superstar talent with the Thunder and a player of his stature is needed to revitalize this aging Clippers squad.
Trade PG13 to the Knicks pic.twitter.com/31bRngZHvL
— Thomas (@lamb_rules) June 22, 2023
This is where the New York Knicks come in. The Knicks have an abundance of young talent and need an all-star/superstar player to put them over the top. With the general landscape of NBA trades happening, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Clippers trade George to the Knicks for a return package centered around RJ Barret and other young pieces or draft capital. Barret hasn’t been performing to his predicted standard but the potential remains and the Clippers would hope that under the mentorship of Kawhi, Barret would be able to mature into an All-NBA talent.
Another name on the Knicks’ docket to be traded is Julius Randle but it seems unlikely due to his 28-year-old age and the fact that the Clippers already have Leonard to play the SF/PF role. Brunson isn’t likely to be traded either considering his recent play and the fact that he is the Knicks’ best ball-handler. We have yet to see whether the Clippers will pull the trigger on a trade for George, but if they do, our money is on the Knicks to be at the receiving end of the bullet.
