NBA Rumors: There's one superstar the New York Knicks nearly traded for during the offseason.
After running out of gas and eventually losing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 (on their home floor) of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, it quickly became clear that the New York Knicks were going to take an extremely aggressive approach heading into the 2024 NBA offseason. That's exactly what we saw play out as the Knicks didn't hold back, acquiring Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns via trade.
Making the bold moves for Bridges and KAT has certainly paid off, at least in the regular season, so far this year. As the final stretch of the regular season quickly approaches, the Knicks are 38-20 and comfortably sitting as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. At this point, the Knicks can't be disappointed with the results of their offseason aggressiveness.
However, interestingly enough, there was another big-name superstar that the Knicks had their eyes on during the summer before taking aim at Bridges and KAT. And for this specific superstar, the Knicks were willing to put nearly every last asset on the table for.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Knicks were willing to offer nearly every single one of their tradable first-round picks in a deal for Joel Embiid during the offseason before they eventually pivoted to Bridges and KAT. However, the Sixers never entertained the idea of trading Embiid. With how this season has gone for Philly and Embiid, you can't help but wonder if there's any second-guessing from the team.
Joel Embiid's future remains a relative unknown
It's certainly always fun to play the "what if" game, but I'm sure neither the Knicks nor the Sixers expected Embiid to have as difficult of a season as he's had when it comes to injuries. That's a big reason why the Knicks were seemingly willing to make a godfather offer for Embiid, while the Sixers weren't looking to entertain anything of that sort.
Nevertheless, where things currently stand, you can't help but be concerned about Embiid's future. He would've been a great addition for the Knicks, but it would've gone down as a terrible deal if the injuries would've hurt him in New York as much as they've stained his season in Philly. Moving forward, the Sixers have to be holding their breath as Embiid searches for answers regarding this specific knee injury.
It's easy to play this game in retrospect, but this is also a reminder of how much Embiid has struggled this season due to injuries. For better or worse, at least for now, it does seem as if the Knicks (who are thriving with KAT and Bridges) side-stepped a major mistake, while the Sixers continue to explore answers about their future with Embiid.