When Madison Square Garden is buzzing and sold out because the New York Knicks are playing great basketball, things just seem a bit different in a good way in the NBA. This was the case last season when the Knicks made the playoffs as the 4-seed in the Eastern Conference, ending their seven-season playoff drought, but success has been hard to come by for New York this season.
After starting the 2021-22 season 5-1 and looking like a force in the Eastern Conference yet again, the Knicks are just 3-7 since the start of December and have fallen to 14-17 overall. Now on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, this Knicks team has a lot of work to do if they are to get back to relevance.
As a team, the Knicks have really struggled defensively, which has been one of their biggest downfalls this season, but they have not been great on offense either. The additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier in the offseason were supposed to help this team in terms of having capable scorers next to All-Star Julius Randle, but neither Walker nor Fournier have played that well.
With Randle himself struggling to get going this season and now Derrick Rose out indefinitely after undergoing ankle surgery, the Knicks are in big trouble. Guys like Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin will see more playing time and try to give this team some energy off the bench, but what New York is really missing is an All-Star leader.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Sixers, Rival Teams ‘Optimistic’ Lillard Could Request Trade
Julius Randle is a terrific player, do not get me wrong on that, but is he truly a No. 1 option and leader that can lead a team deep into the playoffs? He would definitely be a much better No. 2 option next to an MVP-caliber player, but the Knicks do not have another elite-level talent.
Derrick Rose and Kemba Walker used to be this player back in the day, but they are now simply nothing more than secondary scorers for this team. Now more than ever before, the Knicks need this All-Star leader… They need Damian Lillard.
Portland has struggled mightily this NBA season and with them being 13-19, it is not hard to imagine that a big change is coming to their roster very soon. Management and Damian Lillard have been very adamant on the fact that he is not going anywhere anytime soon, but if the Knicks begin to offer up all of their best assets, maybe the Trail Blazers would be willing to budge.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Sixers, Rival Teams ‘Optimistic’ Lillard Could Request Trade
It is a long shot to believe that the New York Knicks have a chance to land Damian Lillard in a trade ahead of this season’s trade deadline, but he is exactly the kind of player they need if they are to be a contender.
With this said, let’s take a look at what this trade could look like and why another team could be involved as well.
