NBA Trade Rumors: Knicks inching closer to making a big splash move for star player?

NBA Trade Rumors: The New York Knicks may be inching closer to making a big move for a star player. It could come at the NBA Trade Deadline.

The New York Knicks have pretty much left off where they were last season. They appear to be a top 5 or 6 team in the Eastern Conference and will have a shot to win a playoff series this postseason. However, if they want to make a deep playoff run, they're likely a difference-making player or two away from being there.

With the NBA Trade Deadline around the corner, it's officially something the Knicks will start thinking about.

According to a recent report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Knicks could be inching closer to pulling the trigger on a star on the trade market. Per Shams, the Knicks are monitoring the trade market in an attempt to find a star to make a move for heading into the NBA Trade Deadline.

Whether or not the Knicks actually find the star player worth going all-in for remains to be seen. However, the fact that the Knicks realize that this could be the moment to pull off a move is significant in itself. And it's something else to keep an eye on heading into the deadline season.

A few star names that could be on the block heading into the deadline are Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Karl-Anthony Towns, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby. Those are the names that have been floated so far. There could be more and not all of those players could be still on the market in the next few weeks.

The New York Knicks need a star acquisition to make the jump to contender status

Looking at where the Knicks stand in the Eastern Conference, it's clear that they need to make a move if they want to be considered a championship contender. For as good as the Knicks can be on any given night, I don't think they have much of a shot to beat the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics in a seven-game series.

They may not even have enough firepower to dethrone a team like the Philadelphia 76ers either. Ideally, the right star player for the Knicks becomes available at the trade deadline and they make the move.

However, finding the right star player could be difficult. With no guarantee of that happening, the Knicks continue to be the biggest "what if" heading into the deadline and into the second half of the season.