Star Search 2023–2024!

Everyone from Charles Barkley’s bald ass self to my father-in-law’s bald ass self keeps saying the s thing: “The Knicks need to trade for a star!”
My rebuttal every time: “okay - and who is that exactly? Reggie Brown?!”

So let’s play Ed McMahon and go around the league to find that perfect 4-star talent that everyone is so confident the Knicks can find so easily.

Not trading away star talent:

Celtics
Bucks
76ers
T-wolves
Thunder
Mavs
Kings
Lakers
Suns
Nuggets

These teams have playoff aspirations and aren't about to trade away one of their stars in the middle of the hunt.

Searching for star talent:

Heat
Pacers
Nets
Hawks
Pelicans
Magic

These teams are looking to improve just like the Knicks. Unless one of them begins to fall out of the playoff picture I don’t see any of them likely to trade away their star players. If anything they’ll be in the trade hunt right next to the Knicks.

And before you get too excited about Zion Williamson I need you to honestly ask yourself: is he better than Julius Randle?

Rebuilding/Building:

Spurs: Victor Wembanyama
Pistons: Cade Cunningham
Wizards: …Jordan Poole? …Kyle Kuzma? Danilo Gallinari?!
Hornets: LaMelo Ball
Blazers: Scoot Henderson
Jazz: Lauri Markkanen? He’s been rumored in trades, but the Knicks aren’t looking for a PF despite the Randle hater tears. Also: screw Danny Ainge.
Rockets: Jalen Green
Grizzlies: Ja Morant is coming back soon to lead this team back up in the standings.

Most of these teams are either building or rebuilding around a young star now who they aren't going to trade.

Unknown:

Raptors: Kicking or sticking? Either way with a counter suit now looming against the Knicks I think we can count them out as a trade partner.

Warriors: Andrew Wiggins sent to the bench and Draymond Green in timeout until Daddy Silver sees if he can play well with others. What does this mean for them this year? They aren’t trading Steph Curry. Don’t even start getting that idea.

Cavaliers: Underperforming so far, now without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for a few weeks. Does this accelerate their “get something for Donovan Mitchell before we have nothing for Donovan Mitchell” timeline?

Selling:

Bulls: Knicks don’t seem interested in Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan. Alex Caruso will only create more minutes issues.

You’ve heard of Occam’s razor right? Put simply, it’s the theory that oftentimes the most obvious answer is the correct one.
The most obvious answer to the Knicks star search for this current season is Donovan Mitchell. However, before the injuries to Garland/Mobley this week - it wasn’t really obvious at all. Why would last year’s #4 seed trade the #1 reason they seeded so high? To the team that knocked them out of the playoffs no less!
It is time for Leon Rose to get on the phone and make a call to Cavaliers GM Mike Gansey and see how many picks it will take to get Mitchell in the orange & blue. For those of you hesitant to trade our draft capital let me make an obvious reminder to you: picks are not promises. There is no guarantee that any of the Knicks picks are going to be the next big star. Donovan Mitchell is a known commodity. And he’s one of the few stars that actually might become available AND have a desire to play in New York.
Leon: make that call.