The New York Knicks made it further in the 2023 NBA Playoffs than they have in a decade. However, the team was within two points of the Miami Heat in Game 6 with the ball and 30 seconds to play, and they couldn’t get it done and force a Game 7. After yet another disappointing season’s end, Knicks trade rumors are in full effect. And that means Knicks stars like Julius Randle could be on their way out, and NBA All-Stars like Karl-Anthony Towns could be on their way to the Big Apple, as the franchise tries to build around new superstar Jalen Brunson.
There are plenty of pie-in-the-sky Knicks trade rumors out there, many of which revolve around Randle, who came up small in the most important moments of the Heat series. New York fans will hope that deals for the Dallas Mavericks Luka Doncic or Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard are possible.
Those Knicks trades are likely just dreams, though.
There are some realistic Knicks trade rumors out there, though, that could give Brunson the help he needs to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals next season or go even further. Here are the two trades the Knicks must make to help Jalen Brunson after the team’s playoff loss to the Heat.
2. Knicks trade Immanuel Quickley to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby
An ankle injury cost Immanuel Quickley the last three games of the Heat series, and that hurt the Knicks.
That led to Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes both playing all 48 minutes in Game 6 and 44:29 and 41:49, respectively, in Game 7. So, when Brunson went to the hoop to tie the game with just 30 seconds left, his legs and mind seemed shot, which led to the series-losing turnover.
Up in the Great White North, OG Anunoby trade rumors have been swirling for months now, and as the team starts over with a new head coach, the excellent two-way guard is likely out.
The Knicks trade would be Quickley, Evan Fournier, and a future first-round pick for Anunoby.
New York is loaded with future firsts, with the Mavericks, Wizards, Bucks, and Pistons all owing the Knicks an upcoming selection. And Fournier is a contract the team would love to get rid of.
Getting Anunoby would be the real coup, though. The soon-to-be 26-year-old is one of the best wing defenders in the league, leading the NBA in steals this season with 1.9 per game. He is also a 37.5 career 3-point shooter and is the perfect 3-and-D wing to pair with Brunson.
On the Raptors' side, they will get a young (24 in June) guard in Quickley with the potential to become a volume scorer in the NBA with the right amount of playing time and teammates around him. Plus, the pick will help the new coach who replaces Nick Nurse add more talent in coming NBA drafts.
1. Knicks trade Julius Randle to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns
If the 2023 NBA Playoffs made one thing clear, it is that Julius Randle is not a championship-winning No. 1 option. The 2022-23 third-team All-NBA player was excellent in the regular season, but in the playoffs, he dribbled (and dribbled and dribbled) the Knicks right out of the postseason.
Jalen Brunson needs a star to play with who can score in the flow of the offense and isn’t a black hole for the basketball.
The Timberwolves went all-in last season, betting that a Twin Towers lineup of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert could make winning basketball.
It didn’t.
Now, the Towns to the Knicks trade rumors are heating up, and that would be an excellent deal for the team.
The trade would send Julius Randle, Isiah Hartenstein, two future first-round picks, and one pick swap to the T’Wolves for Towns.
For the Timberwolves, this deal replaces Karl-Anthony Towns with Julius Randle, who is a much better fit with Gobert and Anthony Edwards. Hartenstein is a solid rotational big, and the two to three picks would start to restock Minnesota’s coughers, which are pretty bare after sending so many picks to the Jazz last offseason.
On the New York side, they also get a player who also fits much better with the current team. Towns is one of the best pick-and-pop bigs in the league, and he and Brunson could be deadly together.
The defense will take a hit, but if the team gets OG Anunoby as well, that would help. Also key to this deal is keeping Obi Toppin to replace Randle and Mitchell Robinson to add defensive help for Towns.
If the Knicks can make these two trades this offseason, the Eastern Conference Finals will be within reach.
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