NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 1: OG Anunoby #8 and Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks look on ... [+]
Right before New Years, the New York Knicks landed veteran forward OG Anunoby, a player who can be inserted into most lineups, and become an immediate asset due to his defensive prowess, and ability to hit three-point shots.
While the Knicks did relinquish RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley - arguably the best player in the deal - there's no question that New York's starting lineup is now more optimized than before, as juggling the ball between Barrett, Jalen Brunson, and Julius Randle, was always going to hold the team back.
However, despite the wing upgrade, the Knicks seem to still be stuck in one key area. They still don't have a superstar who can take them all the way.
Mind you, it's been almost 20 years since a non-superstar team has won the title, when the Detroit Pistons fought off a disgruntled Lakers squad in the NBA Finals.
While some may be optimistic about history eventually repeating itself, it's worth noting that the NBA at large has simply grown considerably better, and the superstar pool is deeper than ever before.
For the Knicks to win a title - which seems to be their aspiration given the continued employment of head coach Tom Thibodeau and the aforementioned trade - they will need a player in the starting lineup who is a clear notch above even Brunson, who himself is having an obvious All-Star campaign.
Brunson, who is 27 and currently in the early bit of his prime, has been tremendous this season, netting 25.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game, while having made huge strides as a three-point shooter.
The point guard is connecting on 43.1% from deep on 6.4 nightly attempts, both hitting off the dribble, and in catch-and-shoot situations. His versatility has allowed himself to bend to the usage of other players, moving off the ball, and providing space for his teammates.
Regardless of Brunson's extraordinary season, though, it's fair to wonder if the Knicks are set up to really make a Finals push.
They did make the Finals in 1999 when no one on the roster had any business being mentioned as a Top 5 player at the time, but were dismantled by the San Antonio Spurs in five games, a fate they assuredly wish to avoid repeating.
Essentially, in today's NBA, it's close to impossible for the sum to be greater than all its parts, and the Knicks look like no exception.
(The Knicks are also missing one of their biggest parts, with Mitchell Robinson out for the rest of the season after undergoing ankle surgery.)
For the franchise to find itself alive in June, it'll have to hope for injuries to opponents, another big-time trade, or someone within the team taking an unexpectedly large leap.
Perhaps, even, all three will be necessary.
As such, the question now is: What can they reasonably do, within a short time frame, to give themselves a chance?
First off, they need to make a call on their current core. Are they willing to break up some parts of it, like moving away from Randle, while attaching multiple draft picks, to make yet another upgrade?
The Anunoby trade insinuates the team is indeed willing to deal, and pay out handsomely, for the right player. Let's thus assume the Knicks are willing to shuffle around major pieces, with the exception of Brunson who is too good to relinquish, and will need to play the role of secondary star.
That leads us to our second, but most important, question: Who is the player the Knicks can realistically get, who will catapult them into the top of the Eastern Conference?
Joel Embiid used to be a name connected to the Knicks, but after the Philadelphia Sixers started winning under new hire Nick Nurse, and Tyrese Maxey developed into a likely All-Star, the assumed availability of Embiid is now dead in the water.
Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Nikola Jokić are - naturally - also off-limits.
That pushes the Knicks down a level, and into looking at players from the tier below.
Only, right there is the problem. Even if they were capable of landing a Donovan Mitchell or a Mikal Bridges, they would still be short that top-tier superstar who has enough substance in his game to lead the team to the NBA championship.
This is of course the case with multiple teams around the league, and not just the Knicks, but the decision to trade for Anunoby, and relinquish the younger Quickley, insinuates the Knicks are pushing some of their chips in to be a part of the elite conversation.
This theory is underlined by the fact that Anunoby can become an unrestricted free agent this summer, with the Knicks having no control of his destiny outside of possessing his Bird Rights.
It's an admirable ideology of going all-in, especially for a team where most players on the roster are in their prime years. But as admirable as it is, the question of how they go from where they are, to where they want to be, remains.
Perhaps the Knicks have an ace up their sleeve before the February 8th trade deadline. Or perhaps the Anunoby trade is just the first step in a larger, overarching plan, with the goal of forcing New York into the same realm as the Sixers, Boston Celtics, and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference.
It would almost have to be, because if the current iteration of the team is what they'll go to war with, they'll need to not just fight superior armies, but history itself.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
