Getty Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder walks to the bench during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns.
After the September 1 blockbuster that sent long-coveted target Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks now inch closer to the 2022-23 campaign in search of a new plan — a “Plan B,” if you will.
For months, Leon Rose and company had been setting themselves up to execute a mega-deal that would have landed them the, then, Utah Jazz star, and, during the final weeks of negotiations, it was even reported that they felt rather confident in their chances of landing him.
In the end, however, New York’s hopes were dashed as Jazz CEO Danny Ainge decided to accept the penultimate offer from Cleveland that brought Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, three future first-round picks, and two future pick swaps to Salt Lake City, leaving the Knickerbockers with a plethora of trade assets ready to go and no clear path to follow.
While they may not have any set direction in place, according to a September 1 article by Marc Berman of the New York Post, the franchise is still very much interested in making a splashy move and will be “on the lookout for the next disgruntled player who goes on the trading block.”
Now, while it’s anyone’s guess when such an event could occur, sports analyst and host of “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Bill Simmons stated in a September 3 episode that he’s genuinely happy the Knicks held onto their big-time resources, for another possible target could soon be hitting the trade block.
“I’d rather have [RJ] Barrett, I’d rather have the picks and the capital for a trade down the road with the next unhappy superstar who’s gonna, by the way, be available probably in two months,” Simmons said.
Simmons would later go on to say that though they may have missed out on acquiring Donovan Mitchell, considering the current state of the NBA and how often players request trades, a big-market team like the New York Knicks could still be a strong player for other disgruntled talents in the near future.
OKC Star Possible Knicks Target
One player some seem to believe could be on New York’s radar moving forward is OKC Thunder stud Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who Marc Berman specifically mentioned as being a legitimate option the club could consider in his previously-mentioned piece.
Already having shown interest in acquiring a star-caliber guard in Donovan Mitchell, it makes sense why the 24-year-old would be seen as an ideal pivot for the organization, and one could even argue he’d be a better fit within their revamped rotation.
In comparison to Mitchell, Gilgeous-Alexander seems to possess many advantages, ranging from his size (six-foot-six compared to six-foot-one) and distribution skills (31.3% assist percentage in 2021-22 compared to 27.7%) to his defensive abilities and age (24 years old while the new Cavaliers guard will be turning 26 this September).
The former 11 overall pick from 2018 finds himself coming off of the best season of his young NBA career, as he finished the year off with stellar averages of 24.5 points, 5.9 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and just shy of a block per game.
Knicks Still Have Ample Assets
Like the Utah Jazz, the OKC Thunder are a team in a rebuilding phase. Generally speaking, franchises in this state often desire as much draft capital and young, promising prospects as they can get their hands on.
Considering the reported packages that were being offered up in an effort to acquire Donovan Mitchell, it’s evident that New York is willing to shell out a pretty penny in hopes of landing a new star.
When it comes to a possible deal with the Thunder, the good news is that RJ Barrett would almost certainly not be a desired commodity by team president Sam Presti, as he seemingly has his sights set on a full-fledged “tankathon” moving forward and a the 22-year-old wing would likely lead the team to more wins than desired.
The bad news, however, is that when considering how Oklahoma City’s trade talks and executions have proceeded over the last several years, they’d absolutely be gunning for more picks to be added to their already illustrious collection should they decide to shop Gilgeous-Alexander.
The New York Knicks hold the rights to four total first-round picks in next year’s draft alone and possess many more through 2025, so putting the proper amount together wouldn’t be a hard feat to accomplish if they were to pursue the combo guard.
As we saw in the Mitchell negotiations, though, the front office has shown a reluctance to part ways with a large portion of these rights, so it would be a change of pace for them to enter into talks with a team that likely would be asking for more capital than Utah did.