The New York Knicks have had an interesting start to the 2022-23 season. Despite having a 15-13 record, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference currently, the Knicks still feel like a jumbled mess of players who aren't going to lead this team to much success. It's a strange dynamic that has led to a lot of tension boiling under the surface between several different parties.

On the surface, though, the Knicks look like a solid playoff contender. They have a lot of depth on their roster, and a couple of stars in Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle leading the way. But still, it feels like something isn't right with this team, and it's something that the front office also has seemed to notice in the early stages of the season.

This has resulted in New York being particularly aggressive on the trade market, whether it be selling players or searching for more talent to bring on board. The trade deadline is still far away, but let's take a look at a couple of early predictions for New York's trade deadline workings and see what moves they could be expected to make over the next few months.

2. The Knicks will have a backcourt firesale

While the Knicks have some weak spots on their roster, they have a ton of guard depth, and it's come to the point where it's become almost too much for the team to handle. They brought back pretty much their entire backcourt from the 2021-22 season, but shook things up by signing Brunson to be the starting point guard, and it has caused everything to go out of whack.

This has resulted in a backlog of guards just sitting on the bench, playing sparingly or collecting dust entirely. Guys like Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier, and Immanuel Quickley were all key pieces of the rotation last season, but they have either been benched entirely or seen their minutes cut. There are simply too many bodies in the Knicks backcourt right now.

That's just the start of it too. Cam Reddish has already (supposedly) requested a trade, because again, he's getting no playing time. Quentin Grimes faced a similar issue, but has largely taken over the starting role alongside Brunson in the backcourt. Miles McBride also looms as a guy who is strangely getting minutes, despite all the other options New York has at their disposal.

The Knicks are looking to be aggressive in moving these guys, and it seems like Reddish and Fournier are almost certainly going to be on the move. But it wouldn't be surprising to see Rose or Quickley get dealt either, as they both have come up in the Knicks trade discussions early on as well. All in all, it looks like the Knicks could clean shop in the backcourt as the trade deadline rolls around.

1. The Knicks will trade for Zach LaVine

It may seem a bit counterintuitive to even suggest this after spending the entire first point rambling about how much excess guard depth the Knicks have, but the Knicks real problem this season seems to be a lack of true star power. Brunson and Randle are solid, but aside from them, who else is able to step up and lead the Knicks to wins?

Having depth is nice, but it doesn't really mean anything when they are all boxing each other out of minutes, which is precisely what is happening in New York right now. Moving away from some of that depth like we mentioned in the first prediction is crucial, but then you have to find a way to bring that talent back onto your team.

That's what makes a potential trade for Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine so enticing. The Bulls are struggling mightily right now, and their trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, and LaVine hasn't exactly worked out as expected. LaVine isn't too happy with how things are going in Chicago, and if they continue to struggle, he could be on the move.

LaVine is a scorer through and through, and that's exactly what the Knicks need. His numbers are down a bit this year (22 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 43.6 FG%, 35.4 3P%) but that's more due to Chicago's overall struggles rather than him regressing. And even then, you can't argue with 22 points per game, especially if you are the Knicks.

Both Brunson and Randle have the playmaking abilities to accommodate LaVine, which is what makes this trade look so enticing. It's a bit strange admittedly, but LaVine's scoring prowess could offer the Knicks what they need to open up their offense. If they can package up some of their spare parts for LaVine, there aren't many reasons to stray away from pulling off this deal if you are the Knicks.