Getty Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
Now that the New York Knicks season is officially over, the front office will begin their preparations for the impending offseason.
Regardless of how the playoffs ended for the Knicks, the 2022-23 season will go down as a successful one and provide a platform to build upon moving forward. However, there will be some within the fanbase and media who want the front office to expedite New York’s path to championship contention.
According to Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley, if the Knicks wish to become an overnight powerhouse, they should be doing everything within their power to prise Luka Doncic away from the Dallas Mavericks.
Luka Doncic watching Jalen Brunson lead the Knicks to a playoff W
“Dallas torpedoed from the conference finals to the draft lottery in one year, getting zero return on its all-in gamble on Kyrie Irving along the way,” Buckley wrote. “The Mavs, by the way, could lose Irving this summer, and they have few young players on the roster, none of whom projects as anything close to a can’t-miss star…New York already knows he plays well with Brunson, and it would have one of the league’s top trios with those two and Randle. Even if it had to gut most of the roster around them, that’s a championship foundation to build upon.”
Stephen A. Smith Wants Julius Randle Traded
Following the Knicks’ elimination from the postseason, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith used his social media platforms to request that the Knicks trade Julius Randle – noting how he believes Randle isn’t a good postseason performer.
Pain.
I want Dame.
“Season’s over. I guess in the end I always knew the New York Knicks would lose,” Stephen A. Smith said. “Jalen Brunson was spectacular [in Game 6]. 41 points. But he was the only one who showed up… Julius Randle [went] 3-for-14. Once again playoffs arrive and once again you fold. [I’m] done! It’s time to trade Julius Randle. It’s time for him to go. I want Damian Lillard. I don’t care what you gotta do to get him. I want Damian Lillard.”
Randle is coming off the second All-Star season of his career but failed to turn up his level of intensity during the final few games of the Knicks playoff battle against Miami.
Evan Fournier Expects to be Traded
When speaking to Brian Lewis of The New York Post following the end of New York’s season, Evan Fournier revealed how he expects to be traded before the 2023-24 season gets underway.
Evan Fournier convinced his #Knicks run is over: ‘Why would you bring me back?’ t.co/3TCOiMbvC8 via @nypostsports
“There’s no way they’re going to keep me. I would be very surprised if they did,” Fournier said. “So we’ll see. It’s obviously not in my hands…My season has been over for a very long time, actually. This officially is the end, but my season was over a long time ago.”
Fournier has only participated in 27 games for the Knicks this season and is clearly not in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s plans. As such, it would make sense if the Knicks looked to cash in on the veteran scorer rather than continuing to pay him for another season.