The 2021-22 NBA season did not go according to plan for the New York Knicks. After the success that they experienced last season, earning the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, they came crashing back down to Earth this season.
New York is currently 31-42 on the season, nearly mathematically eliminated from the postseason as they are five games behind the 10th place Atlanta Hawks for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. This is certainly not a position the team thought that they would be in.
There were some high hopes entering the season as the Knicks were looking to build on the momentum they created.
Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier were the big free-agent acquisitions, while Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel, Derrick Rose and Taj Gibson were all re-signed. Unfortunately, more of those deals have been flops than positives.
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Walker made it 20 games into the season before being removed from the rotation and it was announced at the All-Star break he would spend the remainder of the season away from the team.
Fournier is going to set the franchise record for made 3-pointers, but if he isn’t knocking down jumpers, he is a huge net-negative.
Burks has played well but is miscast as a starting point guard. But, at least he is healthy enough to play, which can’t be said for some. Noel and Rose have been injured a majority of the season, while Gibson has played his role on the team as well as you could ask.
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Despite those shortcomings, this is a team still in a position to swing a big trade. They have numerous young players and solid draft capital at their disposal. Who could they look to acquire? Here is the one star the New York Knicks need to be targeting this offseason.