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The New York Knicks walk into the 2021-22 season with easily their deepest roster since at least 2012-13. For once, a trade doesn't feel like a necessity or something that New York should be actively looking for.
That said, there's nothing wrong with keeping your options open! While the Knicks will be looking to build on their 2020-21 campaign that saw them secure the No. 4 seed in the East, team president Leon Rose has made it clear that if the right deal comes along, they will be open to inserting themselves into the conversation.
So with that said, here's two players that the Knicks could take a look at this season:
2. Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
This suggestion will probably make a lot of Knicks fans groan because the culture is finally at a perfect spot in New York and Simmons is currently in the process (heh) of completely tearing the Philadelphia 76ers apart from the inside. From that perspective, it's totally fair to want nothing to do with Simmons.
It's also fair to point out that he's done very little to improve his game in five years in the league (yes, his redshirt rookie year does count — just because you're not on the floor in NBA games doesn't mean you can't still work on your game). Over four seasons, Simmons has attempted a whole 34 3-pointers, making just five of them. He generally seems unwilling to put work into improving himself and more content to just ride his natural abilities.
But therein lies why the Knicks should be open to giving Simmons a look: the natural abilities. We're talking about a guy who drew light comparisons to LeBron James before entering the NBA. That's not something that's just thrown around (at least not in the modern era, shouts to the immortal DeShawn Stevenson/Michael Jordan comp back in the day at NBADraft.net). Simmons is built like a power forward but handles the ball with the grace of a point guard. He's a threat for a triple-double on any given night. The physical tools are there in spades, and the natural ability is constantly showing through.
The problem has been the lack of adaption and desire to get better. Why that exists in Simmons is an enigma. Perhaps that's just who he is and that's not going to change. On paper, he's played under two really well-respected coaches in Doc Rivers and Brett Brown. His running mate, Joel Embiid, has put in a ton of work and gone from simply a great player to a bona fide MVP candidate in 2020-21. On paper, as Embiid saltily (and rightfully) noted this week, the Sixers have put players around Simmons that fit his style well as a non-shooter, giving him numerous gunners from the outside to kick out to.
And yet even with respected coaches, an MVP-caliber teammate, and shooters galore, Simmons seems to have reached his end point with Philly. So why would the Knicks want to go after him?
Well, it comes down to one borderline-cliché buzzword used in the NBA: culture. Julius Randle was maligned after how his first season on the Knicks went. He got in the gym, built out his conditioning, shot a zillion jumpers, and turned himself into an All-NBA player last year. In a Player's Tribune article last year, he recounted his relationship with the late Kobe Bryant and how that work ethic has now trickled down to the rest of the players on the Knicks.
And what I love about this season’s Knicks, man, is how we have a group of young guys that’s just ready to GET BETTER like that. It’s a group that’s ready to work. It’s a group that’s trying to soak up knowledge like a sponge. And whereas last year I might have been going off to get my work in on my own — this year, when we land in a city?? Pretty much the whole squad is going to the gym.
Regardless of what tampering rules in the NBA state, players can be gotten a hold of in the NBA. If Rose asked Randle to get in touch with Simmons and get his word that he's willing to do things the Knicks way this season and put in the requisite work to help take this team to a new level, would he really be able to say no?
It certainly wouldn't be wise to give up the farm for Simmons at this point, but the only reason he's on this list is because his value is abysmal at this point thanks to the handling of things both on the Sixers' side and Simmons' side of this divorce. So if Rose could get out of a Simmons trade for, let's say, Kevin Knox, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Luca Vildoza, and either the Mavs' protected 2023 first rounder or a handful of second rounders (the math works), wouldn't that be a trade worth making come Dec. 15 when Burks and Noel can be moved? A lineup of Kemba Walker, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Ben Simmons to run opponents into the ground sounds pretty appealing.
1. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Is this particular writer even a big fan of this trade? No, not by a long shot. Karl-Anthony Towns has had a run with Thibodeau before, and it didn't exactly go all that well. That's largely because KAT isn't much of a rim protector, which is the skill that Thibs values the most out of his centers. That said, as noted above, the Knicks are really, really deep this year—so an ideal trade likely won't be for a role player. It's more or less go big game hunting, or stand pat.
With all of the turmoil going on in Minnesota's front office at the moment, Towns might want to seek a new home and a fresh start. And what better home than… well, home. Towns grew up in New Jersey, went to NJ powerhouse St. Joseph's for high school, and has always been vocal about his love for the area dating back to the pre-draft process. On top of that, his old agent—Leon Rose—now runs the Knicks. And, for better or worse, he's already acquainted with Thibodeau.
Is there a chance that this move could blow up in the Knicks' faces? Absolutely, as previously stated, this trade isn't exactly the best fit for the Knicks on paper and would absolutely cost more than the Simmons trade proposed above (think Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin, Nerlens Noel, Alec Burks, and multiple first round picks). But there's no denying that the Knicks would have one of the most potent offenses in the entire NBA if they add Towns to a starting lineup with Walker, Fournier, Barrett and Randle.
Whether the defensive drop-off would be too much to overcome is the prevailing question there, and one that the Knicks should heavily consider before going after a player like Towns just for the sake of adding another “star” to the team.
