Getty Joel Embiid attempts a shot vs. New York Knicks.
After losing in the second round of the NBA playoffs, the New York Knicks will be tasked with finding a way to improve their roster in the offseason. While injuries were a factor in their season-ending, the Knicks are loaded with unprotected first-round picks and other assets to trade, making them a threat to land any star that becomes available. Listing the Knicks’ offseason trade targets, Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report listed Joel Embiid under his “long shots” category.
“But Embiid was drafted in 2014 and has yet to make a conference finals,” Bailey wrote on May 20.
The lack of success for the Philadelphia 76ers, with Embiid yet to make it out of the second round, had Bailey mentioning him as a potential trade candidate.
New York Knicks ‘Dream Offseason’ Scenario Is Joel Embiid Asking for a Trade
Despite the lack of success Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers have found, there’s still no denying what he does on the court. The 2022-23 Most Valuable Player is one of the best scorers in basketball, averaging 33.1 points in his MVP season.
Embiid followed that up with a season that saw him average 34.7 points, but he played in just 39 games due to injuries. Adding a scorer of Embiid’s caliber to the New York Knicks would give them arguably the best duo in the NBA with Jalen Brunson.
Exploring every team’s “dream offseason” scenario, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report wrote that the Knicks’ dream is for Embiid to ask for a trade.
“It’s no secret that the Knicks (and the NBA in general) were extremely interested in Joel Embiid’s future with the Philadelphia 76ers last summer when James Harden asked for a trade,” Swartz wrote on March 18. “While Philly’s strong play in the post-Harden era (until Embiid underwent knee surgery) was enough to table any trade talk for the MVP center, a lot can happen between now and the start of next season.”
Swartz wrote that the Knicks are waiting to put any player not named Brunson in a deal.
“The Knicks’ dream is to have Embiid request a trade at some point while New York is waiting with first-round picks and any player not named Jalen Brunson to put into a deal.”
Knicks Prepared to Find Second Star During 2023-24 NBA Offseason
The New York Knicks having this many draft picks was due to the front office being smart with what they have. New York has understood that they’ll be looking for a star for the past few seasons and have kept all their draft picks for when that star becomes available.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks are counting on a star becoming available this offseason.
“It’s not clear who that star will be. Even the Knicks do not know,” Katz wrote on May 19. “They are counting on one universal truth: In the NBA, someone unexpected always becomes available.”
Katz wrote that while searching for that star, they’ll need to remember that a particular type of personality has been a reason for their success.
“But they also have found success in a particular type of personality, and in their hunt for the next big name, they must not forget that.”
Whether Embiid fits that for them remains to be seen, and only will be if he becomes available.