Whether you like them or not, you have to feel bad for the New York Knicks. They have just been so poorly run over the years and have an owner in James Dolan who seems to care more about his band than he does his NBA organization.

Fans of the Knicks have pleaded for the NBA to remove Dolan as the owner of the team, but with no intentions to sell the team at this moment, it seems like the Knicks are stuck in an endless cycle of torment until they can get an owner who actually cares about the players, staff, and executives.

The problems with Knicks ownership however is not affecting new President of the Knicks, Leon Rose and GM Scott Perry, who are determined to turn this franchise back into a championship contender, something they have not been since the Patrick Ewing days in the early 90s. The last New York Knicks championship came in 1973 when Walt Frazier was throwing it down in ‘The Garden.’

This season, the Knicks have actually started quite strong as new head coach Tom Thibodeau has his young team playing with a lot of energy not just on the offensive-side of things, but on defense as well. New York is currently one of the best defensive teams in the league and as a result, they would be a playoff team if the season ended today. 

With Julius Randle looking like a potential All-Star candidate this season and R.J. Barrett emerging as a three-dimensional scorer, there is a lot to like about this Knicks team moving forward. The only thing this team still needs is a proven superstar player. 

There are plenty of big names available on the trade market this year as the trade deadline approaches, but there are some superstar players who the Knicks could have their eyes on for down-the-road. Let’s take a look at five NBA superstars the New York Knicks could be gearing up to pursue maybe not this year, but definitely heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.