The New York Knicks are expected to be active in the trade market this offseason and it seems they have made a long-time star from out west their top priority.
This is a very interesting offseason for the New York Knicks. They enter the summer on the heels of a very productive season as they not only got back to the playoffs, they ended a decade-long streak of not being able to advance to the semifinals.
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However, in the semis, they were soundly beaten by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. That elimination showed that while the New York Knicks are a force in the East, they are still a piece or two away from being a serious NBA title contender. Yet, they have some limitations in terms of adding impact players this summer.
They don’t have a first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and they don’t have the money to sign a star in NBA free agency. Big changes via trades are the best option the team has, and it seems they have identified the player they believe can help them reach the NBA Finals in the near future.
New York Knicks pushing to land Paul George in trade
In recent weeks there have been rumblings linking the New York Knicks to Los Angeles Clippers swingman Paul George. Well, on Thursday Los Angeles Times confirmed that the two teams are indeed in trade discussions about George and that talks were surprisingly “initiated by New York.”
- Paul George stats (’22-’23): 23.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 37% 3PT
That is a stunning bit of intel since the New York Knicks have been very risk-averse since Leon Rose took over as team president. The eight-time All-Star is a notable risk with over $90 million left on his contract and a deep history of injury woes over the last four seasons.
A trade for George would seem like something the Clippers would love to happen, yet the Knicks believe he could be the perfect addition to a new star trio with Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson in 2023-2024.
Paul George has a player option for $48 million in 2024-2025.