The New York Knicks made excellent progress under head coach Tom Thibodeau in 2022-23, finishing as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference before winning their first postseason series in 10 years.
Led by veteran Julius Randle and the dynamic guard duo of Jalen Brunson and R.J. Barrett, the Knicks finished 47-35 and upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in round one before falling to the Miami Heat in the conference semis.
The Knicks have a solid “big three” in place to help them compete in a conference that only has a handful of legitimate title contenders. But what if New York could land a veteran All-Star to complement this trio?
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed the idea of the Knicks trading for Chicago Bulls’ All-Star DeMar DeRozan in exchange for Evan Fournier, Isaiah Hartenstein and a 2024 first-round draft choice:
“This is a dynamic offensive player. To an extent, that justified this deal for the Knicks on its own. They’re a win-now team adding a great player – they can figure out the fit later.
Meanwhile, this offense is built around two plus shooters. If Julius Randle can maintain his three-point efficiency, he should work alongside DeRozan. Jalen Brunson is a strong shooter as well. If the Knicks can figure out a scheme to accommodate DeRozan’s skill set, who knows? They could exceed expectations in 2023-24.”
DeRozan has his limitations defensively, but a defensive-minded head coach like Thibodeau could certainly work around that. The 34-year-old DeRozan remains a prolific scorer, having averaged 24.5 points per game for the Bulls last season.
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Though DeRozan has been a quality pickup for the Bulls, the fact remains that this team isn’t anywhere close to contending. They’re arguably better off trading DeRozan for young assets rather than risk losing him for nothing in 2024 free agency.
And if the Bulls shop DeRozan, it’s hard to think of many better fits than the Knicks. Perhaps this young team is just one proven All-Star away from competing with the main conference powerhouses like Milwaukee, Boston and Miami.
