In a rumor that is certain to surprise absolutely no one, the New York Knicks are reportedly interested in trading their accumulation of draft assets and young players for a superstar, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

According to Bondy's intel, while Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards will likely serve as the prime target for the Knicks' machinations, the franchise is also interested in Victor Oladipo of the Houston Rockets, as well as Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls.

Though Beal and LaVine are both expected to carry a high price for any team looking to acquire them—owing to their equally high ceiling as players—the Knicks are uniquely suited to pay the toll. Not only does New York possess all of their first-round draft assets moving forward and several promising young players already on their roster, but the Knicks also have ownership of two additional picks from the Dallas Mavericks. While the franchise may not currently have the type of blue-chip prospect around which to build a trade that most teams prefer in blockbusters, New York can more than make up the difference in the number of assets they possess.

The question, as always with the Knicks, is if they should.

Bradley Beal, Julius Randle, Victor Oladipo, Knicks trade

For a team stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of rebuilding, the opportunity to get a potential franchise player is undeniably appealing. While Beal, in particular, would represent the type of top-tier talent the Knicks have long been in search of, the cost of such a trade is likely to leave the cupboard relatively bare for a follow-up move to get a second star. As the Wizards are currently discovering—and as the Knicks themselves found out with Carmelo Anthony—even a top-15 player isn't enough to lift a roster to consistent playoff contention without a running mate.

While the franchise will almost certainly hope that one star's presence is enough to attract another in free agency, recent history and New York's reputation around the NBA make this unlikely.

As Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving's decision to join the Brooklyn Nets rather than the Knicks demonstrated, superstar players desire organizational stability as much as roster talent when deciding where to hitch their wagons. With New York notorious for its amount of dysfunction, acquiring Beal would only marginally improve the team's chances of adding a second star in free agency and ensure that Beal moves from one bad situation to another.

Instead, the Knicks would be far better off doubling down on the draft and develop a strategy that has recently begun to sprout results. While Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin may not be the type of players that can catapult a squad into contention by themselves, their addition to the franchise demonstrates a front office capable of recognizing potential in places others might miss.

With “process” being the watchword by which players and evaluators judge an organization's ability to construct a winning roster, New York may finally be on the precipice instituting the kind of stability and forward-thinking that can attract free agents. To give it all up in a “win now” move that has little hope of bringing a championship to Madison Square Garden would be a mistake.