2. Improve the New York Knicks’ offense & playoff chances
The New York Knicks have a real opportunity to make the playoffs with their current roster. They’ve proven to have a defense that can get them there. New York is ranked second in defensive rating behind only the defending champion Lakers through one-quarter of the season. They’re ranked first in opponent field goal percentage and 3-point percentage.
On top of that, the Eastern Conference has been pretty terrible. Outside of the Philadelphia 76ers, the little brother conference has been a logjam of inconsistent teams. As of this writing, just three wins separate the two seed Milwaukee Bucks and the seventh seed Knicks.
The Orlando Magic proved you could make the playoffs in the East with a lousy offense. They did it under normal circumstances in each of the last two seasons when they successfully chased the eighth seed. They were ranked in the bottom 10 in offensive rating both times. The Knicks have an even greater chance with that play-in game looming.
New York is currently 24th in offensive rating and in the bottom half of the league in almost every significant offensive category. Offensive rebound percentage is the not so surprising exception. They have a defense that easily puts them in playoff contention. But why should the Knicks make things harder on themselves?
Adding Oladipo would surely push the Knicks out of the basement in terms of offensive production.