Broadway

By: Mike Rifkin

The New York Knicks were the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and gave their fans plenty to cheer about during the regular season. The Knicks won their first playoff series since 2013 when they beat the Cavaliers in five games before losing to the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Heat in six games. 

Last Summer, the Knicks made a splash when they signed point guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year 104 million dollar contract. Brunson averaged 24.0 Points Per Game, 3.5 Rebounds per Game, and 6.2 Assists. Those numbers earned Brunson third place in the NBA’S Most Improved Player of the Year award. Brunson’s play and the development of some of the younger Knick players made the fans see what they’ve wanted for a long time from the Knicks, a team with a very bright future.

But, This is New York City, where the lights shine bright. So everyone wants the stars to come out and play. Wizards star Bradley Beal was just traded to the Suns, and there were reports that the Knicks did have some interest there. Now there are always superstars on the move in the NBA. There are a few other names to watch, as Beal was just the first domino to fall. There are two names I’d like to see the Knicks look to acquire Damian Lillard of the Blazers and Zion Williamson of the Pelicans. 

By all accounts, Lillard would like to stay in Portland and try to bring a championship there. We don’t often see Lillard’s loyalty in sports today by both a player and a team. Lillard has reportedly said he’d prefer to go to Miami or Brooklyn if the Blazers were going to trade him, which right now doesn’t seem to be the case, and they’re looking to get players to pair with Lillard to make a run. Zion, on the other hand, looks like his relationship with the Pelicans cannot be fixed. Williamson has missed time with hamstring and foot injuries and coming into camp at times out of shape. But reuniting Zion with his former college teammate RJ Barrett could be the thing that unlocks the potential of the former number-one overall pick. 

Whether it’s Lillard or Zion, the Knicks are in a position to land a star again, and the team is on the rise in the Eastern Conference, which is something Knick fans have wanted for 20 years. People will point to the Carmelo Anthony years, but if the Knicks didn’t make that trade and instead just signed him as a free agent, they would have had the depth to compete in the East.