The New York Knicks surprised everyone during the 2020-21 season when they finished fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-31. While their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks didn’t go as hoped, the season was a major success.
Tom Thibodeau got the players to buy in on both ends of the floor and the results were magnificent. Julius Randle won the Most Improved Player of the Year award, while RJ Barrett took a sophomore jump that has people excited for the future.
New York came into the offseason armed with plenty of assets to make a big move. They have multiple first-round picks to maneuver around the draft and the most cap space in the NBA to spend in free agency. People expected a splash, but it never came.
Instead, Leon Rose, Scott Perry and William Wesley stuck with the plan they had in place. They added more future draft capital with some trades. Every free agent they signed, outside of the two-year deal for Kemba Walker, has a team option the last year for even more flexibility.
While the big trade didn’t happen this offseason, the Knicks are in a position to make a blockbuster still in the future. One player that an anonymous NBA executive believes they should target is Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard, CJ McCollum.
Here is what he said to NBA Analysis Network’s Evan Massey.
“The Knicks have quite a bit of talent at every spot on the roster, but a guy like CJ McCollum would be the missing piece. You slide him in at shooting guard, and that lineup is tough to beat. It wouldn’t be cheap, but New York should take a long look at it.”
Knicks fans were hopeful that they would strike a deal with the Trail Blazers, but for Damian Lillard. A trade package for him would cost even more than the one they would have to put together for McCollum.
McCollum is one of the best shooting guards in the NBA. He is a proven scorer, averaging 23.1 points per game last season and does it at every level of the offense. He would also provide another player capable of playmaking so that the defense cannot key in on one player to slow down the Knicks’ offense. In addition to the score, he averaged a career-high 4.7 assists per game.
Taking some of the great depth they have put together and turning it into an upgrade such as McCollum would make sense. Thibodeau isn’t going to be able to play 12 guys every night, so using some of the excesses could be a path the Knicks take if the opportunity presents itself.
