Approach of the New York Knicks Going Into the Offseason
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This summer, the New York Knicks (and every other team in the league) plan on trying to land numerous players on their radar. So far, the three biggest players connected to the Knicks are Jalen Brunson, Dejounte Murray, and Donovan Mitchell. While there are other players I would like the Knicks to chase, let’s break down how these different situations would play out.
When talking about Brunson, I only see people taking extreme stances on his talent. Brunson is great at attacking off the dribble and was the Mavericks' secondary creator next to Luka Doncic while keeping his turnovers pretty low. He can do this because he plays off of two feet, making it hard to throw him off. Some believe him to be the missing piece that can make this organization competitive in the playoffs, while others think signing him somehow makes us worse. To me, neither of these scenarios makes any sense.
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Brunson alone does not make this team a playoff contender. Still, he absolutely would help RJ Barrett and Julius Randle on the offensive end. On defense, Brunson is a better defender than any point guard on the Knicks besides Immanuel Quickley. He and Derrick Rose, who both excel at penetrating off of the dribble, will create a lot of extra offense for New York, but his price tag will be hefty. Brunson's impact on the court is positive, so there is no way I think he makes the team worse. However, he would stunt the development of younger guards such as Quickley and Miles McBride. I’d take him, but as it goes with the other two guys I’m going to talk about, I really don’t want him because I like the young core of this team going forward.
Let’s talk about Murray now. He is absolutely better than Brunson, but the gap is not as large as some might try to convince you. Offensively, Brunson is a better outside shooter, penetrates just as well, and controls the ball a little bit better than Murray (albeit Murray has the ball in his hands more). Defensively is where the gap between them starts to widen. Murray is bigger and can keep up with taller, quicker guards better than Brunson, which the Knicks have needed for a little while.
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The downside to getting Murray is that he carries a heftier price tag than Brunson. His actual contract is not that expensive over the next two seasons, but he will require a decent amount of picks and other players/assets to acquire. Like I said with Brunson, I do not necessarily want to make any moves because I like the current core (besides Randle), and Murray does not move the needle that much farther than Brunson does.
With Mitchell, he is clearly the best player out of these three options, as he is a scoring machine at all three levels. Between the dunks and jumpers, there is a lot to like about Mitchell. However, his defense still needs some work. What concerns me is not his defensive capabilities, as he has the athleticism and strength to at least be an average defender, but his defensive effort. Rudy Gobert anchors the Utah Jazz defense in the regular season to an almost unheard-of degree, as he deflects shots and makes the paint a tough place to be in for opponents when opponents blow past Utah’s sloppy perimeter defense. In the playoffs, this becomes more difficult as opposing teams scheme to draw Gobert out of the paint, exposing Utah’s lack of effort around the three-point line.
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In addition, Mitchell is getting paid a max contract and a potential trade package would include a lot of the young, improving core. While I like his offensive game, I do not think it is justifiable to trade a bunch of young pieces and future assets for a star who will get ripped apart and made a scapegoat by the media for his poor defensive effort. To me, it would be the Carmelo Anthony situation all over again, but much worse.
