Getty The Knicks fans are calling SGA.
The New York Knicks appear to be trending toward a rebuild of sorts as they continue their descent to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
After not making a move at the NBA trade deadline, New York is going forward through the rest of the year with what they have on the roster. There are still some notable names they could go after such as JR Smith or Joe Johnson, but there’s currently no indication they’d be open to doing that.
With a young core to build around, it might be worthwhile to find some other young stars to help with the process. That’s where a play like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can come in. The former Los Angeles Clippers guard turned Thunder star posted a picture on Instagram showing him warming up before a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, a game where he didn’t even play, but fans are reading into things.
Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played since January, but he’s currently on track to return shortly after the All Star Break concludes. On February 20, he posted pictures of him getting loose at MSG, and fans are thinking there might be more going on there than meets the eye.
For starters, he could’ve chosen images from anywhere, but he chose the Knicks, so the fanbase got to work.
Is This a Harmless Post?
The Instagram post in question simply reads “BE BACK SOON” with a clock emoji, indicating his return to NBA action is near.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a star when he’s healthy, and he’s definitely one of the key building blocks for the Thunder going forward. Rookie Josh Giddey is proving to be another valuable piece, so the Thunder have a bright future ahead of them.
However, if Knicks fans got their way he’d find his way to New York to star for them. After the OKC star posted on Instagram, he was bombarded with comments reading far too into things.
“I hope you wanna be a Knick, showing the garden floor,” says one user.
“You would look good with them young bully’s we already have.”
Some fans kept it a bit simpler and said things like “FUTURE KNICK,” even if there’s nothing to indicate that’ll be the case.
Could the Knicks Get Him?
GettyRJ Barrett could use a co-star.
It’s highly unlikely the Thunder would make Gilgeous-Alexander available in a trade, especially when you consider they went out and go him themselves in the Paul George trade.
When paired with Giddey, it’s clear the future is bright in OKC, so they’ll likely want to hang onto him going forward. With that said, players do have a tendency to escape the small markets in search of the bright lights a place like Los Angeles or New York can offer. In this case, he’s already been in LA, so maybe he already got his fill.
There’s no telling what the Knicks will look like by the time SGA hits free agency, but if they are in a better spot than they are now, then maybe he could make the leap to the Big Apple.
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