NBA Trades: Knicks land Brunson's dream co-star in potential blockbuster with Nets
By Ismail Sy
The New York Knicks had a rollercoaster of a season. After finishing as the fifth seed in the East last season, the Knicks rose to the second seed this season, despite all the injuries they had to deal with. The injury bug bit New York in a bad way this season, with players like Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson, and Bojan Bogdanovic missing significant time.
They didn’t let that stop them in the playoffs, as they beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round and went to seven games with the Indiana Pacers in the second round, eventually losing at home in Game 7.
Through it all, the Knicks were led by guard Jalen Brunson, who turned in the best season of his career. The all star guard averaged career highs in points and assists this season, earning a spot on the All-NBA second team.
His running mates were Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who both missed only one game of Knicks basketball this season and turned in career-best seasons as well. DiVencenzo specifically averaged a career-high in points and a three-point percentage.
The Nova boys kept the Knicks afloat this season despite the odds being stacked against them and not having their full roster to compete night in and night out. When the team was healthy, though, the Knicks put the NBA on notice in January, as they went 14-2 during that month. New York can’t remain complacent this offseason though.
One of the team’s weaknesses was the lack of consistent shot creation outside of Brunson. Part of that was missing Randle, but even then, the Knicks could use an efficient 20-point per game scorer that can ease the offensive burden of Brunson. That could be seen in the playoffs and was part of the reason the Knicks couldn’t keep up with the Pacers.
Fortunately, due to the savvy of GM Leon Rose, New York has a treasure chest of first-round picks that they can dangle via trade and acquire the scorer they need. That leads us to an interesting trade proposal with the Brooklyn Nets, which sees the Knicks reunite with a familiar face.