The New York Knicks’ chances
As currently constructed, the New York Knicks are not in a strong position to land a superstar going into the Summer of 2021. No superstar player wants to be the canary in the mine. They don’t want to jump into the unknown and find out that the grass isn’t greener on the other side.
Trading for a star player to a certain extent removes the choice of choosing the Knicks. Bradley Beal offers the Knicks a significantly brighter future than RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Kevin Knox, or the 8th overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft possibly could.
At best, Beal offers the Knicks a path to potential long-term championship contention if he can persuade two superstars to join him in 2021.
At worst, Beal provides the Knicks with a franchise player who will thrill crowds for years to come and who will make the Knicks a lot more relevant than they have been over the last number of years and they will have the ability to get better in 2021 as they will still have significant cap space available to them.
It is a win-win situation for the Knicks whatever way you cut it.
Kevin Knox has underperformed as a Knick and wasn’t likely to receive a long term contract worth very much. RJ Barrett, while showing promise, has not looked half as good as Zion Williamson or Ja Morant, the Knicks could cash in on his potential now for Beal rather than Barrett potentially never living up to his draft number.
Julius Randle was vastly overpaid by the Knicks and his contract hindered them from making a move for two stars in 2021.
The 8th overall pick while valuable in most years is less so in this year’s draft as there are maybe two or three franchise players in the entire draft and none of which will be available at pick 8.
Beal is worth the risk. He is worth taking a swing on.
The Knicks front office should pull the trigger before the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets make a godfather offer that lands Bradley Beal on the same team as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
If Beal lands on the Knicks and can attract more stars to the MSG, the battles between both New York franchises would be epic. Make the deal Mr. Rose, the New York Knicks are ready to step into the spotlight once more.