Why The New York Knicks Do The Deal 

Realistically, this trade is deeper than just a trade. It represents two distinct methods of team building.  

The Bulls are going a more conventional route. They’re maximizing their assets in order to broker a big trade down the line. The Knicks are going the opposite way – they’re brokering a big trade. 

Of course, this deal won’t necessarily put the Knicks in title contention in 2022-23 either. In fact, it almost certainly won’t. With that said, it should make them more competitive – that’s the point here. 

Here, the Knicks are trying to follow the same model their neighboring Brooklyn Nets did. In the years leading up to acquiring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, they never tanked. Instead, they maintained the most competitive program they could until that program attracted free agents. 

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It’s a plan that can only work for an organization in a big market. That’s not an issue for the Knicks. If it works, nobody will be laughing when it’s rewarded.