New York Knicks
Not only do the New York Knicks need a superstar player, but they need to be willing to show potential All-Star free agents that they are legit. New York is a fantastic sports market and a lot of big name players would probably love to play for the Knicks, but nobody wants to go to a team that struggles to win 20 games every year.
The Knicks need to prove that they have changed their franchise around and are able to make a push in the Eastern Conference. It may not matter if they make the playoffs this year or not, but they need to prove they can win games with this young core and by bringing in Blake Griffin, it makes the Knicks an interesting team to watch.
R.J. Barrett and first-round pick Obi Toppin are the two faces of the franchise moving forward and with Blake Griffin as their leader, a lot of good can come out of this situation. Having Griffin as a mentor to Toppin could go a long way in his early development in the NBA and given that they both share a great amount of athletic talent and made names for themselves with their dunks, there is no better mentor in the NBA for Toppin than Griffin.
This trade would be quick and painless for the Knicks as they would have to give up Julius Randle, one of their many point guards, likely Frank Ntilikina, and a first-round pick. While Randle had a great season with New York last year, leading the team in scoring, Blake Griffin is a better overall player than him and with Toppin coming in as the 7th overall pick, he will be pushing Randle out of minutes anyways later on in the year.
Julius Randle is not a part of the Knicks long-term plans and while Blake Griffin is not either, the former All-Star offers a lot more upside now than Randle ever could. The Knicks need a winner and an All-Star talent, which is what Blake Griffin is.
Bringing in Blake Griffin sends a message to the rest of the players in the league that the Knicks are legit and willing to do what it takes to make star players comfortable and happy in a market like New York. Whether it is Blake Griffin or somebody else, the Knicks need to trade for an All-Star level talent this year and given the upside Griffin could bring to this team, it would make sense to acquire him now.
