The Knicks completed a major trade ten days ago to acquire forward O.G. Anunoby for a relatively low **. The deal sent Barrett and Quickley and a second-round pick to the Raptors. According to rumors, the Knicks could have Julius Randle as their next potential target. According to several reports and Hoopswire's *** New York may try to revamp the roster with a trade centered on power forward Julius Randle. According to a source, although such a deal seems "unlikely" at the moment, whether to trade him or not will depend on the course of events.
The Knicks plan to see how their new roster performs this month, including the chemistry of the likes of Anunoby, Randle and Brunson, before deciding if they need to initiate another trade before the Feb. 8 trade deadline. Currently, an Eastern Conference executive has told Fox Sports' Rick Bucher that trading Anunoby would put the Knicks ahead of other Eastern Conference teams that could compete for a top-four finish in the playoffs. "The Knicks are 8th in the league on the offensive end but only 16th on the defensive end, which makes them a mid-table team," the executive said.
The addition of Anunoby should push their defense to the top 10, which will raise their ceiling and give them a chance to compete with the top three teams in the East. They seem to have outpaced the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers on paper.
The Knicks currently lack a starter-caliber small forward or athletic swingman on their roster, but they have a lot of good players on the guard line, such as Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and Quentin Grimes, so these players will be good chips if the Knicks initiate a trade, and they are all popular plug-and-play players on any team. Sports Warm Winter Creation Season