Joel Embiid Linked to Knicks Anew, but There’s a Caveat

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid has been linked to the New York Knicks again, but there is a caveat.

“There is scuttlebutt in some corners of the league that Embiid wants to go to New York,” NBA insider Chris Broussard said on FS1’s “First Things First” on Thursday, October 19.

“Now he’s not going to come up and say it because he doesn’t want the backlash from fans in Philly. But yea, there is scuttlebutt that he has his eyes on New York, but look, we always associate the Knicks with all these great players on other teams, so I’m not going to count on that … but Embiid wouldn’t lead them to a championship. I’m sorry. He wouldn’t.”

Broussard argued that a potential Embiid-led Knicks would come up short like the Patrick Ewing team in the 1990s.

“They would be good like they were with Ewing,” Broussard said.

But, he quickly added, Jalen Brunson and Embiid make a good fit.

The Knicks have resisted trading for B-List stars from Donovan Mitchell to James Harden to Paul George over the last two summers. They have been saving their draft capital for a superstar like Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

But with the Milwaukee Bucks trading for Damian Lillard, the chances of Antetokounmpo asking for a trade is now less likely.

With the still unsolved James Harden drama, the Knicks’ odds of prying away Embiid are more realistic. Unless 76ers GM Daryl Morey gets a suitable replacement for Harden to support Embiid, the rumors linking the 7-foot superstar center to the Knicks will only grow louder.

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Bob Myers Says Players Now Want to Play for Knicks

Former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers said the perception of the Knicks has changed for the better.

“I think what has shifted from being an agent, from being in the league, there was a time where I felt like people may not have wanted to play in that city, and I think that’s changed,” Myers said in a conference call with reporters on October 16.

“I think now you’re looking at murmurings, hearing things, ‘Hey, what about the Knicks?’ and the draft capital they have allows them to — it’s a realistic thing, right? It’s not just some layperson saying, ‘Well, the Knicks should go get this guy,’” Myers added.

The Knicks have righted the ship under Leon Rose, a former agent like Myers, who made the jump to the NBA front office. Rose’s leadership has produced two playoff appearances and one series win for the Knicks in his first three seasons.

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Knicks Add 2 Ex-Cavs

The Knicks announced they had signed Mamadi Diakite and Brandon Goodwin after waiving Nathan Knight, Isaiah Roby and Jaylen Martin.

The 6-foot-9 Diakite spent last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. He won a national championship with the Virginia Cavaliers in 2019.

Goodwin played for the Westchester Knicks in 2021 before returning to the NBA with the Cavaliers, first on a 10-day contract, later converted to a two-way deal last season.

With Tom Thibodeau’s rotation already set, Diakite and Goodwin will likely play in the G League this season.

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