This season, the New York Knicks are ready to make a blockbuster trade

It’s been strangely quiet in New York lately, as the Knicks teeter on the brink of being a legitimate playoff danger and a dark-horse title contender. However, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski highlighted this week, the franchise has been planning for years to make a big-name move, and there is a sense across the league that they could be the next team to pull it off.

“The Knicks have been preparing themselves with draft assets and the development of young players to make the kind of big trade necessary to move into the elite of the Eastern Conference and NBA,” stated Woj.

As things are, the Knicks lack the ability to compete for a championship. Even with players like Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett, they don’t have the kind of superstar that every contender requires to make a deep playoff run. So far, the Knicks have not discovered him, and it appears that they are hastening their hunt.

After years of being irrelevant in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks finally found some success last season, reaching the Conference semi-finals. They finished 47-35 in the regular season, proving to be formidable on both sides of the floor, and that success has carried over into this season, as they are 13-9. The Knicks are looking like a sure-fire top-six club again, thanks to their starters, but what is their ceiling with what they have?

The Knicks will always be a step or two behind the Celtics and Bucks, who have MVP-caliber players in their prime, as long as Jalen Brunson is the best player (a guy who helped Luka Doncic lead the Mavericks to the Conference Finals). The question for the Knicks is who could be that player for them, and what it will take to bring him on board.

While the market for sellers is certainly poor right now, the Knicks have the assets to make a move and the financial flexibility to make a sizable trade offer without giving up their core players in Brunson and Randle. While Zach LaVine is not a household name in New York, he may be an intriguing fit for the team given his explosive firepower in the backcourt. Naturally, there are reservations regarding his defensive talents.

Lauri Markkanen, a rising jazz artist, could be another candidate to consider. While you could argue that he and Brunson are on the same level, moving him to center may just give enough space for them to pose a real problem for opponents.

The Knicks’ most likely next target is Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, who is allegedly becoming dissatisfied with his current circumstances. He’s the type of player that may propel this club to new heights in the postseason, but he won’t come cheap, and the Cavs will receive numerous offers. For the time being, it may be better to wait for Mitchell or another star to come to town rather than going all in on an unproven name who may not live up to expectations.