The New York Knicks have a long road ahead of them during the 2020–21 season, but one thing is for sure, they are looking to rebuild through a youth foundation.
Team president Leon Rose, who is in his first year with the Knicks, made moves that indicate he’s looking toward the future and not the present. They drafted Obi Toppin in the first round and Immanuel Quickley later on, injecting a strong power forward and shooting guard into their roster.
However, they didn’t attack free agency with the aggression we anticipated, signing plenty of one-year deals and acquiring draft picks for the future.
Some could gonna make the argument that the Knicks are already tanking for next season, as they marginally got better, if at all. They lost Marcus Morris to a trade last season and retained several veteran players who are more complementary options than starting. They are preparing to roll out Elfrid Payton at point guard again, signing Norlene Noel and Theo Pinson to two-way contracts.
The Knicks are arguably the worst team in the NBA, and they could be eyeing Cade Cunningham of Oklahoma State next year as the number one overall prospect. At 6-foot-6, he is a strong guard who has a fantastic feel for the game. He is explosive and has fantastic shooting ability. He’s also solid from beyond the arc and could translate extremely well to the NBA. He is suited very well for the modern style of play and could be a foundational player moving forward.
If the Knicks are truly seeking a player of his magnitude, they made all the right off-season moves to be in place to land him. They are extremely youthful and don’t have any superstar players who can grind out wins on a daily basis.
They still have Julius Randle, but the anticipation is they could look to trade him prior to the start of the season. Last year, he earned 19.5 points per game and 9.7 total rebounds. He was the Knicks’ best player, but that’s also because he rarely passed the ball and took over games with a solo mentality.
Acquiring draft picks could indicate moving up in the future to acquire a better player or sending them to a team in a big trade. Otherwise, what is the point of acquiring all of these 2023 second-round picks?