The New York Knicks made a flurry of moves before the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. And they are a much better team as a result. But while their trades clearly improved the roster, they made one major mistake — they failed to add a back-up point guard.
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New York's flurry of trades resulted in a higher ceiling
The moves New York made prior to the deadline obviously helped solidify their depth. They fleshed out an already deep rotation with the additions of OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Alec Burks. And while the sample size with Bogdanovic and Burks is far too small to draw any conclusions, the Knicks were much better after adding Anunoby and Achiuwa on December 30.
With a healthy roster, New York was 14-2 in January. Despite skepticism remaining amongst some members of the national media, the Knicks secured some impressive wins in January including victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets. And objectively, New York had the league's best net rating throughout the month, as well. But the fact that they failed to address the point guard position could hurt them down the road.
Knicks should have prioritized a back-up point guard
The backup point guard position remains a pressing need for the Knicks. And the decision to forego adding one might haunt the team’s front office given the presumed strain on point guard Jalen Brunson.
Frankly, the Knicks roster is lacking an established backup point guard. There is no other way to frame it. Granted, Deuce McBride has played well in that role over the past month or so. But he has played only about 20 minutes in total of playoff basketball through his career, meaning he's under-prepared to relieve Brunson in hotly contested postseason matchups.
Now, there is no indisputable formula regarding how much playing time is too much. So, coach Tom Thibodeau must fight the urge — which is deeply rooted in him — to play Brunson as much as he'd like, at least in the regular season. But part of the problem is that Brunson has already played a lot this season. He’s averaging a career-high 35.9 minutes per game, and there's no sign of that decreasing in the near future.
To Thibodeau's credit, Brunson's playing time has actually decreased since Immanuel Quickley was traded to Toronto; however, it’s pretty clear that coach Thibodeau will lean even more heavily on Brunson in important games given the lack of an experienced backup. Hopefully, Brunson holds up through it all.
What could have been done differently?
New York was connected to several point guards before the deadline. Guys like Dejounte Murray and Malcolm Brogdon were regularly mentioned as ideal targets. Even Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton would have alleviated some of the strain on Brunson. Instead, the Knicks are stuck with only one point guard with any experience to speak of on their roster — with that point guard being Brunson.
Why didn't New York make a move for one of the aforementioned guards? It clearly has a lot to do with the asking price. The Atlanta Hawks allegedly wanted two first-round picks and a player in exchange for Murray. The Portland Trail Blazers allegedly wanted at least one first-rounder for Brogdon. And Utah Jazz executive Danny Ainge is notorious for sticking with exorbitant asking prices when negotiating with the Knicks, and Clarkson and Sexton are both members of the Jazz.
So, the Knicks' decision to punt on a backup point guard comes down to philosophy. Knicks' executive Leon Rose wanted to hang on to his first-round picks for a bigger trade (possibly) this summer. And he prioritized next season and beyond over the present one.
But that is a big gamble. As crazy as this might sound, New York could compete for a championship this season. And there's no guarantee that this team will come back next season exactly as constructed. If Rose's plan works out as imagined, then all is well, and he is completely vindicated. But if it doesn't, it might cost Knicks fans their first real opportunity to compete for a championship since the 1990s. And Knicks' fans are intimately aware of the idea that championship-contending teams do not grow on trees — at least not in New York.
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